A Note on Hygiene

Now there have been rumors forever about how many baths Marie Antoinette took a year and the amount of powder used to cover unpleasant scents. That leads me to believe the 18th century had a reputation for being quite stinky! And the truth is...yeah, it kind of was. But the reason we know that is because contemporaries of the time would describe, in detail, how bad certain individuals smelled. I suppose that means, not everyone smelled bad! Yes there was glitz and glam, but that came with the use of a lot of glitter and what lay underneath could be quite repulsive.

Peoples of a Notorious Stink

• Samuel Johnson
• Topham Beauclerk
• James Boswell
  
• Caroline of Brunswick
• Prince Leopold
  

Hygiene

• John Wilkes complained that women's "nobler parts are never in this island washed...they are left to be lathered by men."
• The stuffy Charles Geville said he only took the future Emma Hamilton as his live-in mistress because she was "the only woman he slept with without offending his senses."
• The Prince of Wales only slept with his wife one time because he couldn't get past her smell and the "marks of filth on the fore and hide of her."
• Most people would only occasionally wash their hands, feet, and or faces.
• Prince Leopold was forced to take a bath before his wedding to Princess Charlotte because his hygiene was so bad.
  
• Mary Wollstonecraft stated women had no regard for cleanliness.
• Charles James Fox and the Duke of Norfolk were known to not change their clothing often. Especially personal linens.
• Toothpicks were the only form of dental hygiene; breath was putrid due to decaying teeth and gums. Women tended to loose teeth after pregnancies due to calcium deficiencies.
• Some countries smelled better than others. A French proverb was, "The more a ram smells, the more the goat loves him.
  

Temporary Solutions

• Lice would be killed with mercury. Safe!
• Pock-marks were covered up with white makeup, which was made out of lead. Hmm also safe!
  
• Perfume, essences, oils, and powders would be used as deodorants.
• Marie Antoinette supposedly introduced polished iron bed frames to Versailles in order to cut down on bed bugs which tended to enjoy wooden bed frames.
• Black silk beauty marks were used to cover up blemishes and pock marks.

High Humor

BibliOdyssey had a great post a while ago on satires of hair towers. I think I spread word about it on Twitter (but I'm a scramble-brain, so maybe I didn't!) which I know not everyone follows. However, I've had multiple people email me about the post so that tells me I must do a better job about spreading the word and give the fabulous post the recognition it deserves.

High hair reached it's height (ha!) in popularity in the 1770s due to trends in France as well as a young debutant Duchess popularizing three-foot tall hair towers and feathers. The fashion trend caused a trend in mocking the extreme coiffures which became so grand they surprised many a social-observer.

Check out BibliOdyssey's great collection of coiffure satires here.

Dress Like a Rivaling Duchess This Season

I'm always looking for 18th Century inspired clothing no matter what is in for the season. As I was musing through clothing I can't afford I noticed a few trends which I think both Georgiana and her foil, Jane Duchess of Gordon would like. Lace, translucent fabrics, and ruffles would probably appeal to our most fashionable Duchess; and check out that awesome military coat! Our most Scottish Society Hostess would likely enjoy all the plaid that's out, especially this amazing jacket which looks like a polonaise from the back.

Rivaling Duchesses by GeorgianaGossip featuring Anthropologie

Favorites

Johann Baptist von Lampi, Aloysia Weber as Zémire, 1784

Yay or Nay? Prince Heinrich XIV

Well, it appears that you were as won-over with Mrs. Newbery and her buttons as I was. If only would could see the whole gown; what a tease! This week, we will focus on outerwear. Will our latest selection make you feel all warm and fuzzy or chill you to the bone?


Anton Graff paints the perfectly posed Prince Heinrich (1789) as he takes off his tricorn hat so as not to distract us from his hunter green coat. Yay or Nay?

[Gemäldegalerie]

Movie Review: That Hamilton Woman

I finally had the opportunity of seeing the classic film, That Hamilton Woman (aka Lady Hamilton) starring Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier. The 1941 British film has only recently been re-released and is now available on DVD, or in my case on TCM, what luck!

First of all, I'll begin by saying I am biased toward Leigh, since I became a Gone With the Wind fan at the same time as I was watching Disney Movies. The lady can do no wrong.

That Hamilton Woman portrays the legendary romance of Lady Emma Hamilton (Leigh) and war hero Lord Nelson (Olivier). The movie opens with a lady-street urchin walking into a wine shop in Calais (wow Calais hasn't changed much in 100 years) and sneakily stealing a bottle of wine. The authorities spot her and a fight breaks out, resulting in the culprit and a woman who came to her defense landing in jail. Once in jail, the clepto reveals herself as Emma Lady Hamilton and tells her tale beginning with her arrival in Naples. You know how it goes; teenage Emma gets dumped with Sir William, they marry, she meets Nelson, they fall in love and conduct their affair in front of everyone.

Like I said, I am biased. I love Leigh, even though her British accent (which is real) is very similar to her southern drawl. I love the chemistry between her and Olivier; very steamy. They are convincing in their affection for each other and stay true to their characters. Leigh portrays a strong Emma Hamilton, and at the same time makes sure to include the elements of Emma's poor background. The costumes on the other hand are disappointing in the sense of accuracy. If you are a fan of early 40s movie fashions you will not be disappointed, but otherwise they didn't even try to be accurate like they did in the 1938 Marie Antoinette. I was even delighted to see that Georgiana's brother plays a role and, of course, wears a Spencer!

One of my favourite scenes of the movie is when Emma introduces Nelson to the Queen of Naples (Norma Drury), whom Emma was close with. The two enter a room of chaos: screaming children, barking dogs, and fretting servants. Among all this is the glittering blonde vision that is Queen Maria Carolina who is rapidly yelling in Italian, adding to the chaos. If it weren't for all the glitz and glam you would have thought you ran into a family in a trailer park. No wonder Emma and the queen bonded so well.

As a whole the film is great. It doesn't stray too far from the truth and keeps your interest. It has the classic flair, complete with running in giant dresses and emotional embraces. So take advantage of its release and enjoy the nice, clean film restoration.

Devonshire Progeny: Caro Ponsonby (Lamb)

One of the pitter-pattering sets of little feet scampering around Devonshire House were those of the future Lady Caroline Lamb. Caro was the youngest child of Harriet, Georgiana's beloved sister. Therefore much of Caro's childhood was spent with Aunt Georgiana, Uncle William and the rest of the Devonshire Progeny.

Caro's odd behaviour, which was to make her notorious, didn't just spring up in adult-hood. There was always something a bit off about the child. First of all, she differed greatly (in fact, she looked impish), in appearance and otherwise, from her two brothers; which is likely due to her actually being their half-sister. Although this cannot be solidly proved, it is a likely explanation for the differing personalities.

The formidable Lady Spencer described her granddaughter as "one of the most difficult children to manage." She was bratty, unpredictable, and needed constant attention or else she would become increasingly difficult in order to achieve it, asking silly questions and so forth. At least one time this earned her a spanking from grandma! Even Georgiana recorded that she was tempted to slap Caro after she was rude to Harriet on one ocassion.

A lovely reader, Kristi, and I have discussed Caroline's unique personality and she brought up how Caro had many autistic traits, which I found to be a brilliant theory and one that made a lot of sense. Once when Caro was a young teen, she was traveling by carriage with her parents. Somehow the party got lost in the dark and like many a family vacation of mine, Bessborough (Caro's er...Dad) got angry at Harriet and Caro for being frightened. Shortly afterward the horses got spooked and while Bessborough went to calm them, Harriet realized they were about to fall down a pit, hence the frantic horses. When the dust cleared, figuratively speaking, Caro was gone. She was running through the dark fields to the closest town to get help. The papers had a field day.

Caro was very close to her mother and her dutiful brothers were protective of her. Her unpredictable personality made it difficult for her to make friends. The closest Caro seemed to come with childhood friends was Georgiana's daughter Harryo and Bess' daughter Caroline St Jules, who were all very close in age. Both girls had little patience for Caro's antics and commonly found themselves stuck with Caro on long trips across the continent. It was noticed that Caro seemed to behave better when around Caro St Jules' good influence.

When Harryo got married she neglected to invite Caro, who was very put out. Meanwhile Caro St Jules would forever be glued to her foil when the two both married the Lamb brothers. But that part of Caroline's story is of a more tartly nature.