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TOULOUSE-LAUTREC AND JANE AVRIL...
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (November 24 1864 - September 9 1901)Today, November 24th, in the year of 1864, the artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born in Albi, in France. He was to grow up and find...
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THE CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME BEGINS...
From the V&A ArchivesThe VV really loves this engraving. It reminds her of the time when she wrote The Somnambulist, her first Victorian novel which opened up with a theatre scene from a Christmas...
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PRINCE ALBERT'S DEATH AT CHRISTMAS
The royal Christmas tree at Windsor CastleQueen Charlotte (the consort of King George III) had first introduced the tradition of decorating a pine tree in the royal rooms at Christmas time. But it was...
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SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN...
Winking Santa by Essie FoxThe VV has found her old box of watercolour paints and created this greetings card of Santa Claus to say thank you and to wish a very Happy Christmas to each and every one of...
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MR BENTLEY'S MAGICAL ICE CRYSTALS
What could be more festive than a Christmas white with snow and ice? What could be more magical than the photographs of snow flakes which were made in the nineteenth century by Wilson Alwyn...
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THE VV WISHES YOU A CHRISTMAS OF THE VERY BRIGHTEST AND BEST...
Star of Bethlehem by Sir Edward Burne-JonesExhibited at The Birmingham Museum and Art GalleryThe Christmas carol, Brightest and Best is featured in the VV's novel, The Goddess and the Thief. And now,...
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QUEEN VICTORIA'S CHRISTMAS GHOSTS
The VV's latest Victorian novel, The Goddess and the Thief, is a Gothic Oriental: a story in which Queen Victoria plays a small but significant role, during which she consults with mediums while hoping...
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FROM CAIRO TO CONSTANTINOPLE ~ THE PRINCE OF WALES ON TOUR IN 1862 ...
Albumen print by Francis Bedford which shows The Sphinx, the Great Pyramid and two lesser pyramids, Ghizeh, Egypt. March 1862. Recently the VV attended the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace in London....
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ON SALT AND SILVER PHOTOGRAPHY ...
Salt prints are the earliest photographs that still exist today, having first been presented in Britain in 1839. The technology very soon moved on, but where the salt prints are concerned the...
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THE FIRST WOMAN TO STAND FOR THE PRESIDENCY...
Victoria Woodhull 1838-1927The VV has been musing on the life of Victoria Woodhull – who was (although few have heard of her now) the very first woman who made a bid to stand for the American...
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A GLORIOUS GOWN OF BEETLE WINGS...
Ellen Terry (Alice Ellen Terry) was a famous Victorian actress who was born into a theatrical family and first appeared upon the stage when she was only eight years old.Renowned for her voice and...
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THE TRUE VALUE OF THE PENNY BLACK
Today, when we can send and receive a text message or email in seconds, it's hard to imagine the impact on social communication that was brought about by the manufacture of one little black penny...
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THIS VIRTUAL PUNCH AND JUDY SHOW...
Punch Kills Judy From Gutenberg ebooks - author and illustrator unknown.As another UK Election ends, during which political parties have all indulged in varying degrees of wit and repartee, the VV is...
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YOURS FOR HEALTH: LYDIA PINKHAM ...
Lydia Estes Pinkham - February 9, 1819 ~ May 17, 1883Born in Massachusetts as the tenth of twelve other children belonging to a Quaker couple, Lydia Estes, as she was then known, had a relatively...
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ALPHONSE MUCHA ~ ART NOUVEAU
Alphonse Mucha July 24 1860 - July 24 1939Born in the Czech Republic, the name of Alphonse Mucha was later to become forever linked with the artistic style of Art Nouveau. The mass appeal of his...
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A very brief post today to show the book trailer that has been made for the novel, The Goddess and The Thief.
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ADA LOVELACE AND THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE...
Ada Lovelace 1815-1852Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, was the only legitimate child of the poet Lord Byron and his wife Anne Isabella Milbanke. However, Ada never knew the father who deserted...
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THE VICTORIAN CULT OF DEATH...
Recently, the VV gave a talk to the Dracula Society, discussing some aspects of her research into the Victorian Cult of Death. This is a transcript of that talk... I adore the gothic genre. Even when I...
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DOCTOR WILLIAM PRICE ~ WELSH DRUID
Doctor William Price was a scholar and surgeon who gained fame at the age of 84 when cremating his dead baby son on the side of a Welsh mountain. A charismatic and charming young man, Price socialised...
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