Regency Toys

In the book I'm writing now, there is a scene set in Hamley's Toy Shop, the original one in High Holborn, London. So I've been researching Regency toys today. Dolls and tin soldiers and spinning tops and sets of skittles--as many toys available in the Regency as I can find.

Which reminded me of a game I photographed at a museum in Nottingham in 2005. Dated 1819, it was a game called "Changeable Ladies" published by R. Ackermann in London.

The game consisted of cards which can be put together to create different ladies' faces. The images on the cards were similar to the faces on Ackermann fashion prints of the period.

I could well imagine a little girl in the Regency spending hours putting the cards together in various ways, creating new faces with new eyes, noses, mouths, and clothing. Then when she was called to her dinner, I could see her carefully putting the cards away in their little wooden box.

When I was a little girl, I loved drawing fashionable ladies or playing with paper dolls. I also loved puzzles, so I'm sure I would have adored the Changeable Ladies.

Did you play with paper dolls when you were a child? Did (or do) you like puzzles? What was your favorite toy?

Keep watching this space and your Harlequin Historical authors' websites. We have another exciting Holiday contest coming up very soon. A terrific Grand Prize and lots of other prizes, a prize every day!

In the meantime you can always enter my website contest, going on right now, but hurry! Today is the last day for the first giveaway in my contest.

Michelle Styles: Blind Alleys and Research

When I was researching my latest book (accepted yesterday!), I had cause to wonder about the Lady Patronesses of Almack’s. Specifically I wanted to know who was a Lady Patroness during the 1811 season. The answer – you have to make an educated guess. The only list we have is for the 1814 Season. Using some detective work, I managed to eliminate Countess Lieven as her husband hadn’t become ambassador to the Court of St James. The same is true of Princess Esterhazy. It was unlikely that Lady Castlereagh had risen to the heights as her husband had not become Secretary in the Foreign Office. So I started looking at the others. Lady Shefton probably was and so was Sarah Child Villiers Lady Jersey. To my shock and amazement, I have been unable to find a good modern biography of Sarah Child Villiers. Here is a woman who not only play a significant role in English high society as a leading hostess but also was the senior partner at Childs and Co, one of London’s oldest bank. She maintained a desk there and according to the snippets I read online did not allow any of the men in her life to take an active part in the business. She served as the senior partner of the bank from 1806 – 1867. Childs still maintains her papers in their archives, mostly dealing with partnerships. She inherited the bank from her maternal grandfather who was annoyed about her mother’s elopement with the Earl of Westmoreland. Childs provided the bulk of the Jerseys’ considerable fortune. The fact that she was actively involved in the business surprised me. She is also rumoured to have had several affairs including one with Palmerston as far as I can determine. As a Lady Patroness she was responsible for bringing the quadrille to London and had a hand in the introduction of the waltz. According to Princess Lieven’s letters such was her power that she was known as ‘Queen Sarah.’ And in 1820 she held her salon supporting the Opposition rather than the government. Captain Gronow who did the biography of Brummell and who originally gave the list for the Lady Patronesses of 1814 is less effusive saying that she looked like tragedy queen and was ill-bred. (Perhaps Childs had refused him credit.) She was known to be talkative and was sometimes called Silence as a result.

It seems astonishing to me that no biography of Lady Jersey exists and that she tends to be overlooked in favour of her mother-in-law Frances who had an affair with the Prince Regent. If anyone knows of a biography, please tell me. Surely her life is ripe for re-examination.

Actually I would love to see a well-done biography of all the Lady Patronesses or even an examination of Almack’s and its role. There is apparently a 1924 book on Almack’s and Lady Dorothy Nevill’s Memoirs among others are useful at providing snippets but there is nothing solid.

One of the reasons I love writing historical is the opportunities for research. It can be annoying though when one wants to know more!