Category Archives: Hobbies & Crafts

Aspects of Regency Passtimes

Of Parfilage or Drizzling Through the Regency

Posted on 14 December 2018 by Kathryn Kane

Last week, I wrote about the history of goldwork embroidery through the Regency. This week’s article is about a hobby which destroyed such work, known as parfilage in France and "drizzling" in England. Though this hobby was most popular with … Continue reading →

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Embroidery Patterns in the Regency

Posted on 1 July 2016 by Kathryn Kane

Regency ladies planning a new embroidery project could not just pop down to the local stitchery shop to select a printed pattern which suited their purposes, like many needlewomen are able to do today. Certainly, there was no such thing … Continue reading →

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Before the Camera:   Bird Prints

Posted on 25 March 2016 by Kathryn Kane

People have always been fascinated by birds, for these creatures, unlike humans, were not earth-bound. They had the power of flight, to soar freely through the air at will, unimpeded by any obstacle. In addition, many of them sported beautiful … Continue reading →

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Quill-Work or Quilling?

Posted on 17 April 2015 by Kathryn Kane

This delicate craft had been known for more than five hundred years when it became popular once again in the late eighteenth century. A popularlity which continued right through the Regency, especially among gently-bred ladies of the upper and middle … Continue reading →

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The Making of Regency Books

Posted on 7 October 2011 by Kathryn Kane

Wednesday, 30 October 1811, is generally accepted as the official date of publication of Jane Austen’s first novel, Sense and Sensibility. Though it was not the first novel Austen wrote, it was the first one she would see in print. … Continue reading →

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Regency Colormen

Posted on 30 September 2011 by Kathryn Kane

It is certainly true that Regency gentlemen, particularly dandies, prefered brightly-colored clothing. But they are not the "colormen" who are to be the subject of this article. Rather, I will discuss the true Regency colormen, those who made and sold … Continue reading →

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Painting Front to Back — Painting on Glass

Posted on 26 November 2010 by Kathryn Kane

Embroidery, drawing and the playing of a musical instrument are all accomplishments of young ladies who figure in Regency novels. But there was another accomplishment practiced by many of the young ladies who lived during the Regency which I have … Continue reading →

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The English Print Room Phenomenon

Posted on 19 March 2010 by Kathryn Kane

In recent weeks I have written about both paper-hangings and the private display of art during the Regency. Those divergent topics intersected during the second half of the eighteenth century and through the decade of the Regency to produce a … Continue reading →

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