Fresh off the presses at Versailles and More:It has made the rounds of the major media worlwide (see the BBC, for instance.) Even Le Monde mentions it, and yet Jane Austen is not a household name in France. In 21st century parlance, the story has become “viral.”So yes, Professor Kathryn Sutherland, of Oxford University, reveals … Continue reading Breaking news: Jane Austen was human! →

Chatsworth House, one of England’s most magnificent stately homes, has hosted a variety of filming, most notably Pride and Prejudice in which it represented Pemberley, Mr. Darcy’s estate. Now they will feature an attic sale — an Aladdin’s cave of items at all price levels, each one with its own story to tell. From the … Continue reading Attic Sale at Mr. Darcy’s House! →

Vogue editor Lisa Love visits LACMA for a behind-the-scenes peek at Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700-1915. The exhibition will tell the story of fashion’s aesthetic and technical development from the Age of Enlightenment to World War I. The exhibition opens at LACMA on October 2nd, 2010 in the new Lynda and Stewart Resnick … Continue reading Vogue Magazine Shoots “Fashioning Fashion” →

Illustration by Julia RothmanIf you look at the chair above and think “Thanksgiving” or “apple picking in New England,” there’s a good reason for that! While the Windsor chair may evoke a New England country B&B, as the name suggests, the form is actually English. In 18th-century England, the chairs were used in the Windsor … Continue reading History of Windsor Chair →

Inverting a photograph can be a fabulous way to add a bit of Halloween spook to your otherwise regular images. White lace becomes black and vice versa. Well, you get the idea. I did this little trick using Photoscape. One click. See the image below to see which little button. Works like a charm. For … Continue reading Halloween effect on old photos →

Man wearing cadenettesSome characters in Catherine Delors' For the King, including the would-be assassin Pierre de Saint-Régent, wear cadenettes. What were they?They consisted in two side braids worn in front of the ears, while the rest of the hair was gathered in two more braids behind the ears. Those were tied on the nape to … Continue reading 1800 hair fashions: the cadenettes →

Last year, Penguin compiled a list of the 10 Essential Penguin Classics that they thought that every person should read. They have now decided to open the "top ten" list to their readers. If you would like to vote - we hope you do for our favorite reader - then click here. The site has … Continue reading Top Ten Books That All Should READ →

Jane Austen weekends, Bloomsburg, PA, March 2011March 3-6March 10-13March 17-20Corresponding with the WORLD PREMIERE of Jon Jory’s theatrical adaptation of Jane Austen’s EMMA, Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble and Columbia and Montour Counties are hosting three Jane Austen Weekends. Lodging packages include hotel stay, one ticket to a performance of EMMA at the Alvina Krause Theatre, FREE … Continue reading JA Weekends in Central PA →

The Monroe Twp Public Library will have 3 JA programs at 2 PM on November 1, 15, and 29, featuring our dear Connie. They are open to the public, so please support her, and our public libraries.