France
Eliza de Feuillide: Jane Austen’s Cousin and Sister-in-Law
Eliza de Feuillide was born on 22 December 1761 in Calcutta, India, and christened Elizabeth Hancock, but affectionately called “Betsy.” She was the daughter of Tysoe Saul Hancock and Philadelphia Austen, sister to George Austen, Jane Austen’s father. However, even before Eliza was born controversy surrounded her.
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Queen Victoria’s Visit to France in 1843
Queen Victoria’s visit to see the King of the French at the Château d’Eu in Normandy on 2 September 1843 made headline news. She was the first British monarch to visit a French monarch since Henry VIII of England visited Francis I of France on the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520. Queen…
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Hair Powder: History of Its Popularity and Unpopularity
Hair powder was at one time used as an ornament for powdering a person’s hair or wig. It was sometimes perfumed and generally made from pulverized starch or Cyprus powder, although the poor classes were known to use flour. In addition, according to Chambers’s Encyclopaedia, the idea for hair powder was initiated in France:
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Pierre Charles L’Enfant Revolutionary Architect and Washington, D.C. Planner
Pierre Charles L’Enfant was a military engineer born in Paris on 2 August 1754 to Pierre L’Enfant, a painter who served King Louis XV, and Marie L’Enfant, the daughter of a minor court official. After his older brother died at the age of six, L’Enfant was sent to study art at the Royal Academy in…
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Ladies of Llangollen: Life on Their Terms
Despite living in a time where the fate of women was to find a husband and marry, Eleanor Charlotte Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, known as the “Ladies of Llangollen,” decided to live a life based on their terms. Their story begins with Butler and Ponsonby living about 15 miles from each other and meeting for…
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The First Fete de la Federation of 14 July 1790
The first Fete de la Federation was established with a proclamation issued on 11 July 1790 by the Marquis de la Fayette. He was the military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War and was a key figure in the French Revolution and later the July Revolution of 1830. The celebration was intended to…
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Gigot or Leg of Mutton Sleeves of the 1800s
Gigot or leg of mutton sleeves were first seen in the sixteenth century. They became fashionable again in the late 1820s and early 1830s (approximately 1824 to 1836) and then once again in the 1890s. Gigot is French for an animal’s leg, particularly a sheep or a lamb, and as that was what the sleeve…
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French Royal Hunt of 1773 or the “Incident of Achères”
The French royal hunt of 1773, also sometimes referred to as the “Incident of Achères.” was only one of many hunts enjoyed by the royal court. King Louis XV loved hunting, as did his grandson, Louis-Auguste. the dauphin and future Louis XVI. In fact, the dauphin loved hunting so much “in preparation for his hunts…
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Charles Julius Guiteau’s Plan to Assassinate President James Garfield
Charles Julius Guiteau’s plan to assassinate President James Garfield happened on 2 July 1881 as the President was walking through the Sixth Street Station of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad in Washington D.C. The assassin, Guiteau, who was an American writer and lawyer, falsely believed he had played a major role in Garfield’s election victory…
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Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte: Wife of Jerome Bonaparte
Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte was an American socialite who married Jerome Bonaparte, Napoleon Bonaparte’s youngest brother, on 24 December 1803. Elizabeth, who was often referred to as Betsy, was the daughter of Dorcas Spear and William Patterson, who had been born in Ireland in 1752 and who had immigrated from Donegal to North America before the…
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