Oh Drat

Thanks to a tip from Laurel Ann this morning I found out that my rating widget for The Duchess may have caused script-problems for some viewers. So it is gone now. A big sorry to those who couldn't see the site because of it!
In its place is a poll version for ratings. It's not as fun but hopefully more user-friendly! If you do have a code for a star rating widget, let me know since I like how it gives an average rating. Thanks to those who were able to vote, so far it had 3.5 stars!

Tart of the Week: Dorothy Jordan

Believe it or not, there were tarts that weren't named Elizabeth or Mary! Dorothea Bland was born in 1761 to a stagehand and his Welsh mistress, an actress in Waterford, Ireland. When Dorothea was 13 her father abandoned the family to marry an actress. Although he sent small amounts of money to support the family it was not enough and at 15 Dorothea's mother enlisted Dorothea to the only job she could teach her daughter, acting.

Dorothea had an knack for the art and a pretty face so her new profession proved a success. As with many past tarts, she was also smart and witty. Her first gigs were at the Theatre Royal, in Cork which was managed by Richard Daly. A relationship bloomed between the young actress and her boss and at the age of 20 Dorothea had her first child. Knowing her potential, and now having another mouth to feed, Dorothea made a decision to move to London to reach a greater audience and hopefully make more money. It is here that she transformed into Mrs. Dorothy Jordan. Many actresses would take on a married name so they wouldn't be viewed as a whore. It is rumored that Dorothy chose Jordan as a reference to her escape across the Irish Sea as the River Jordan.

She was met with more success in London. She was also met with more men to fool around with. Some she gave her heart to and some she didn't. She even moved in with one who promised to marry her. After three children and no ring, she said goodbye to him too. But she would move on to bigger men. Meanwhile, she had become one of the biggest names in acting. She was a leading comic actress and was working out of Drury Lane. Because she had hot legs she would get cast in many cross-dressing roles, known as "breeches' roles, which were usually written just as an excuse to show off actresses' legs.

Maybe it was those famous legs that attracted William, Duke of Clarence, and later King William IV to Dorothy. The two fell in love and began their live-in relationship, which would last over 20 years and produce 10 children. Despite the scandal, the common-law couple lived became the examples of domestic bliss. Even stuffy King George didn't seem to mind the scandalous couple because they were the model of loving, functional couple. Soon satirical prints veered from cracking jokes at Dorothy's promiscuity to how she was, shockingly, a good parent.

Unfortunately the affair was forced to come to an end when the amount of legitimate heirs was dwindling and William's debts were increasing. Like his brother with Mrs. Fitzherbert, William agreed to leave Dorothy and marry a princess in order to pay off the debts. They separated on the terms that he would have custody of the boys while she got the girls (typical). She would receive a stipend on the terms that she never acted again (harsh!). Dorothy sadly complied but when a son-in-law fell into debt in 1814 she returned to stage to help support her daughter. When William found out he not only haulted the stipend but took custody of the remaining daughters.

Dorothy had reached a low point in her life. She fled to France to escape debtor's prison and died there in 1816. However, there are rumors that she may not have actually died then and lived a few years longer under a different name.

Let's Get the Real Ratings!

If I may draw your attention to the right side of the blog. I just added a new widget where you can voice your opinion (in the form of stars) on what you thought of The Duchess. I have not been able to cast my vote seeing as the people at Paramount Vantage want to torture me by prolonging the release date more and more each week. Hopefully, by October 10th I will have a detailed review of the film and I hope everyone else who has seen it will voice their opinions in detail there as well. But for now, please give it your star rating!

Chatsworth: The State Dining Room

Running along the top floor of the south side of the house is the State Rooms. These five apartments were built with the intention of housing a visiting monarch. Indeed, much care went into these lavish rooms in anticipation of the monarch's arrival, by varying dukes through time. All were disappointed, and the apartments wasted for their purpose until Queen Victoria finally fulfilled the rooms' purpose in 1843. By the early 19th century the baroque State Rooms were out of style, and Georgiana's son, Hart found them rather ghastly and a waste of a great view. However, he suspected they could be "a museum for old furniture and a walk in bad weather" so the rooms were spared on his premonition. And thank goodness for that! Today they stand as some of the finest examples of baroque interiors in all of England. The next few entries on Chatsworth will be devoted to these apartments.

The first room guests will happen upon is the State Dining Room. Under 11 foot high doorways they enter into a vast array of wood paneling. Rich reliefs protrude from the wood panels depicting intricate garlands. These garlands consist of wild plants and freshly killed fowl and shellfish; hunting spoils. Yes, I know, decorating your house with dead animals may not be your personal taste but the carving is absolutely exquisite. It reminded me of the themed carvings in and on Amsterdam's Town Hall, one of my favorite buildings in the world. At the end of the room is a massive floor-length mirror which is so clear you feel like Alice entering the looking glass.

The ceiling mural by Verrio is, once again, breath-taking. This shows the Greek gods proclaiming the Golden Age because William and Mary have been named the rulers of England. The first Duke was a big fan of William, and designed these rooms with every intention of William staying there, which of course, he did not. His housekeeper, Mrs. Hackett got in one too many arguments with Verrio and is immortalized in this mural as the haggard fate snipping the threat of life. This is framed with a trompe l'oeil banister so it appears you are looking through the roof into the sky.

Despite King William declining his biggest fan's hospitality, the dinging room, or Great Chamber as it was known until the Victorian age, would be used as a gathering place for guests in the grandest of occasions. There can be no question why. You can spends hours circumnavigating the room and still notice something new every time.

The cross-section above is by Nick McCann