This beautiful thing was posted on twitter yesterday by Amber Butchart, author of the forthcoming Nautical Chic which I mentioned here recently. Apparently it's a nagajuban, an under robe for a kimono, dating from 1905 and decorated with anchors and cherry blossoms. It made me think of the lovely pictures katriona_s posted of her grandmother's kimonos and I ( Read more... )

Just in case you missed this in the tv listings....Nelson in His Own Words, tonight on BBC2 at 21.00 in England and Ireland, and tomorrow at 21.00 in Scotland and Wales. Blurb as follows

Horatio Nelson was Britain's greatest naval hero. He was famed for his dash-and-glory heroics. He was also a prolific letter writer. The letters reveal that ( Read more... )

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I'm sure you are all the very epitome of sobriety and propriety, but just in case any of you did overindulge over the festive season, you might want to consider this stern warning published by the National Temperance League in 1890. This painfully worthy example of high Victorian doggerel was posted on the British Library's wonderful Untold Lives ( Read more... )

A few weeks ago I posted a note about a seminar at The National Archives on The Chevalier d'Eon: Transgender Diplomat at the Court of George III, 1763-1777. If anyone is interested, a podcast of the seminar there is now available on The National Archives website here. The seminar focuses primarily on the diplomatic scandals the Chevalier provoked ( Read more... )

The Keeper's Gallery at The National Archives in Kew is currently featuring what sounds like a rather fascinating exhibition on the High Court of Admiralty Prize Papers; a large collection of ships documents, private papers and correspondence recovered from vessels seized during the 17th to 19th centuries. The exhibition focuses on papers belonging ( Read more... )

I was surprised and very moved to come across this Remembrance Day article about my home town of Stornoway in The Guardian this weekend. The article briefly tells the story of the tragic loss of the HMY Iolaire, the ship that was wrecked within sight of Stornoway harbour on Hogmanay 1919, resulting in the death of 205 sailors and service men ( Read more... )

A little ballad for Halloween, from the Royal Museums Greenwich, dating from 1805.


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