I recently saw Belle (2013), a film based on the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, a woman of color and status in late eighteenth century England. While the film diverges from the actual facts, it does so to underscore the messages of the film. Some reviewers have pointed out the “Austen-esque” nature of the story,…… Continue reading Belle
Category: British Isles
Liverpool’s overlooked history?
The archives and libraries were closed today, so I took myself down to the riverfront to look around some of the National Museums Liverpool, specifically the Museum of Liverpool, the Merseyside Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum. The latter is currently located on the 3rd floor of the Maritime Museum, although it will someday…… Continue reading Liverpool’s overlooked history?
Lost Causes
When I’m not reading history essays and biographies, I like a good mystery (I also like a good historical romance, but that’s a story for another time). Today’s read is by an author who I’ve read before, Sharyn McCrumb, but a series I have not, starring one Elizabeth MacPherson. I’m reading the first in the…… Continue reading Lost Causes
Christmases Past: what happens next?
With the close of the 18th century, we run into a sort of black hole of information about how people celebrated Christmas. The next big era everyone looks at is the Victorian era, when Christmas trees come into vogue and many of the “Christmas Traditions” we take for granted are first introduced. None of this…… Continue reading Christmases Past: what happens next?
Christmases Past: Knox, Cromwell, and Co.
When considering the history of Christmas in the early American republic, it’s essential to understand the history of Christmas in Britain. Not all of the population of the first states were British in origin, but the government had been. What most people do not know is that Christmas was banned in England in the 17th…… Continue reading Christmases Past: Knox, Cromwell, and Co.
What makes a citizen?
Working as I do with a focus on the period between 1780 and 1830, the War of 1812 frequently drifts into focus. It is not a war with which I was very familiar when I started at this job, and I still think there’s a lot more I could know about it (although I have…… Continue reading What makes a citizen?
Little Bitty Books
Today I went to the local U to their special collections (the joys of working for a historic site!). In one of the boxes I requested were books – three larger ones and then a series of small ones. I mean small – less than two inches wide and at best three inches tall. Most…… Continue reading Little Bitty Books
Quote from Miss Ann Maury, March 9, 1832
Miss Ann Maury was born and raised in England to an English mother and an American father. James Maury, her father, was consul at Liverpool from 1790 to 1829. She kept a diary, and part of it has been published, from the 1830s after her family moved (back) to the United States. She writes that…… Continue reading Quote from Miss Ann Maury, March 9, 1832
Tartan societies
Thoughts on the Scottish-American clan fascination.