Et Cetera
 

Current Contest The December/January contest winner is Carol Helt. Congratulations! Sign up to Louise’s e-newsletter to win a signed copy of Ravished by the Rake . Rules: One winner will be drawn at random among newsletter subscribers. Contest ends March 31, 2012. Entering the contest grants us permission to list your name as the winner. You will be added to Louise's mailing list only. We will not sell or give your email to 3rd parties. Email Confirm Email I prefer to receive emails in Text format   Links www.accessromance.com/blog historicalromanceuk.blogspot.com romanticnovelistsassociationblog.blogspot.com www.elizabethbaileybooks.com www.joannamaitland.com www.nicolacornick.co.uk www.clairethornton.com www.marynichols.co.uk www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org www.millsandboon.co.uk www.eharlequin.com  historicalsaganovels.blogspot.com rnacambridge.weebly.com I’m an avid collector of all things Regency, whether it is fashion prints, books or places and I’d like to share with you some of the fascinating, beautiful, unusual and downright weird facts, places and objects that I come across. Watch this space for updates.     Illustrated Tea Time For years I have been collecting a type of china popular during the Regency period in middle class homes because of the wonderful illustrations it is decorated with. The technical term for these items is “bat printed ware” – nothing to do with flying mammals, but a reference to the method of applying the transfers. Popular designs show country scenes, stately homes, couples strolling in picturesque landscapes but also tiny details of everyday life. My favourite is the bowl above which shows a gentleman relaxing in his tight pantaloons and elegant tail coat, reading a book in the garden in front of a beehive. This plate shows a couple in another garden. I thought at first he was offering her a flower, but actually he is holding a cutting – it is even possible to see that it has been prepared with one square and one slanting cut. Presumably he is a keen horticulturalist. The lively scene of mother and child on the saucer is very typical of mother and child scenes, many of which are copied form the work of popular artist Adam Buck. And finally here is a plate showing an idealised scene of harvesters with charming small children picking flowers while their mothers carry sheaves of wheat. Bat printed ware is relatively easy to pick up in English antique shops for a few pounds a piece so a collection can grow quite fast– a fact reflected by the domestic crisis when we moved house last year. Quite a large part of my collection had to go off to the sale rooms!   Is there a Regency London location you would like me to track down? Email me and I’ll try and find and photograph it.