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CORA PEARL ~ FEMME FATALE DE PARIS
Cora Pearl - exhibiting her not inconsiderable charmsAt the height of her astonishing success Cora Pearl owned three different houses in Paris, a stable of 60 horses, and jewels valued at more than a...
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EASTER CHEEPINGS AND GREETINGS...
Yesterday, while stepping out, the VV was greeted by a procession of Easter ducklings...every one of which she very much hopes has now found its way from nest to the Thames. But, inspired by them she...
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BOOK REVIEW: THE SACRED RIVER BY WENDY WALLACE...
Today is the paperback publication of The Sacred River by Wendy Wallace. This is Wendy's second Victorian historical novel and it tells the story of Harriet Heron, a young woman who has spent her...
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MARIE LLOYD ~ THE ONE AND ONLY ~ THE QUEEN OF THE MUSIC HALLS...
Recently the VV was invited to take part in a spectacular event when, as one of 32 Londoners, she gave a talk on the London Eye. Her event was based on Marie Lloyd, a superstar of the London halls and...
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PAPERBACK COVER DESIGN FOR THE NOVEL, THE GODDESS AND THE THIEF...
The VV is really pleased to announce the cover reveal for the mass market paperback version of The Goddess and The Thief  which is due to be published by Orion Books at the end of November 2014.This is...
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RAMONA SZCZERBA'S SENSATIONAL VICTORIAN STEAMPUNK DESIGNS...
TA DAH! What a handsome devil he is!This is one of the VV's favourite designs; an example of Ramona Szczerba's work ~ and Ramona has also created the glorious banner that now heads the Virtual...
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PODCAST OF A TALK ON MARIE LLOYD ~ AS PERFORMED ON THE LONDON EYE ON MAY 1ST,...
On May 1st, 2014, the VV was delighted to perform alongside other writers such as Claire Tomalin, Dan Cruikshank, Sir Andrew Motion, Kate Williams, D J Taylor and Robert Elms, when each gave a talk in...
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DETECTIVE CAMINADA AND THE CROSS DRESSING BALL...
The VV is thrilled to host a guest post from the writer and historian Angela Buckley. Angela has recently written The Real Sherlock Homes: The Hidden Story of Jerome Caminada, published by Pen and...
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KING COPHETUA AND THE BEGGARMAID
A TRUE CINDERELLA STORY - AS TOLD BY KIRSTY STONELL WALKERAs acts of social rebellion in the nineteenth century went, a cross-class liaison was nothing usual. Some women like Catherine Walters, or...
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VICTORIAN SYNCHRONISED CYCLING - FROM THE BFI FILM ARCHIVES...
The BFI has recently made a wealth of historical archival film available for the general public to view for free online. This is a wonderful reference for historians, historical novelists, and also...
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THE LEEDS GAS STRIKE OF 1890 ~ GUEST POST BY THE AUTHOR, CHRIS NICKSON...
1890. Britannia really did rule the waves, and much of the commerce of the globe. The Empire was at its height, with manufacturing and innovation never stronger at home, and the North as its industrial...
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JOHN SINGER SARGENT ~ NEW LONDON EXHIBITION OPENING IN SPRING 2015...
Douard and Marie-Louise Pailleron, John Singer Sargent, 1881As it is with the world of fashion, the popularity of certain styles of art will art wax and wane along with the times. Sometimes,...
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RICHARD DADD: MADNESS, MURDER, AND FAIRY FOLK...
Richard Dadd – 1817 - 1886The VV has long been fascinated by the work of Richard Dadd, a Victorian artist whose depictions of fairies – in whose existence he staunchly believed – were executed in the...
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ON THE VICTORIAN CULT OF DEATH ...
Recently, the VV visited the Newman Bros. Coffin Works in Birmingham to speak on the Victorian cult of death, a somewhat fitting topic while she stood between rows of old sewing machines and tables...
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INSPIRED BY MILLAIS' SOMNAMBULIST...
The VV was very touched when the Pre-Raphaelite Society's Poet in Residence, Sarah Doyle, wrote to say that she had been inspired to write the following haunting poem after reading the novel The...
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EMMA THURSBY'S ASTONISHING MYNAH BIRD ...
Emma Cecilia Thursby (1845-1931) was an American opera singer who began her musical career by playing the piano for Henry Ward Beecher’s Plymouth Brethren Church services. However, her talents were to...
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THE TRADITIONS OF HALLOWEEN...
For many of us today, Halloween is a commercial tradition made popular in America, where pumpkin-head lanterns in front of doors lure children to come and Trick-or-Treat while dressed as skeletons,...
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WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO TAKE YOUR HEAD, SIR?
The following images illustrate the Victorian craze for 'photoshopping' photographs, sometimes with rather disturbing results...
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DRUGS, BLOOD AND HUMAN SKULLS...
Hidden beneath the oak-beamed roof of St Thomas' church in historic Southwark, you will find a 300 year-old garret once used by St Thomas' apothecary for the storage and curing of the herbs that were...
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