People

  • 25 Books to Read if you like Jane Austen

    25 Books to Read if you like Jane Austen

    Happy birthday Jane Austen! My favourite author was born on this day in 1775, and in her honour I’ll surely be picking up one of her novels – but, seeing as there are only six full novels by Austen (next on my list of rereads of Jane Austen books in order is Mansfield Park –… read more

  • Mini-Post | The Getty Villa

    Mini-Post | The Getty Villa

    “One could say, ‘Go to Pompeii and Herculaneum and see Roman villas the way they are now – then go to Malibu and see the way they were in ancient times.’” J. Paul Getty, Los Angeles Times, 1974 The Getty Villa was the brainchild of J. Paul Getty (1892-1976), who made his fortune in oil… read more

  • Princess Ka’iulani (1875-1899)

    Princess Ka’iulani (1875-1899)

    Princess Ka’iulani in 1897, Unknown Author. Image Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Hawaii State Archives PP-96-8-022. Happy 146th birthday to Princess Ka‘iulani of Hawaii! Born Victoria Kawēkiu Ka‘iulani Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn on this day in 1875, Ka‘iulani was the daughter of Princess Miriam Likelike and Archibald Scott Cleghorn (a Scottish businessman who became a Hawaiian citizen). Ka‘iulani’s birthday… read more

  • Mini-Post | Van Gogh & Sunflowers

    Mini-Post | Van Gogh & Sunflowers

    Van Gogh (1853-1890) painted sunflowers many times across his decade-long career –not only did he like the happiness they evoked, and that they were more coarse than the flowers other artists typically included in still life, they gave him chance to experiment with colour more than other still life paintings. Van Gogh became so known… read more

  • Mini-Post | Lilla Cabot Perry (1848-1933)

    Mini-Post | Lilla Cabot Perry (1848-1933)

    The Blue Kimono, 1915, oil on canvas. Is Female Artist Friday a thing? If it is, I’m joining in! This painting by Lilla Cabot Perry caught my attention a long while ago at the San Diego Museum of Art – I love the flowers and the beautiful blue kimono so much! Perry was born in Boston… read more

  • Happy World Poetry Day!

    Happy World Poetry Day!

    To celebrate, I’m sharing some lines from Hannah More’s 1786 text The Bas Bleu: or, Conversation, which I go back to over and over again in my research. In it, More celebrates conversation as central to friendship, curiosity and female knowledge, specifically the Bluestocking Circle. So, not only good for World Poetry Day, but Women’s… read more

  • Podcast | Historical Friction, “Lost in Austen” (2009)

    Podcast | Historical Friction, “Lost in Austen” (2009)

    I’ve been putting all my knowledge (and immense love!) of Jane Austen to use recently – a couple of weeks ago, I did an event with Edgehill University entitled “Pride, Prejudice and First Impressions: Jane Austen’s World of Country Houses, Sisterhood and Social Comment” – it was recorded and is available for anyone who is… read more

  • Happy International Women’s Day 2021!

    Happy International Women’s Day 2021!

    Read and learn more about International Women’s Day here. “You never know what little girl is going to benefit from that pebble you put down. All it takes is a pebble to change a girl’s life. Sometimes all it is is a message that they hear. It is that simple sometimes. Some girl somewhere sees… read more

  • Rereading Jane Austen | Pride and Prejudice

    Rereading Jane Austen | Pride and Prejudice

    To continue my rereading Austen series (find my blog on Sense and Sensibility here), here are my thoughts on Austen’s second novel, and my favourite, Pride and Prejudice. I’ve been rereading it in conjunction with writing a lecture on it, which has meant that more so than ever, I’ve been thinking about the novel in… read more

  • George Harrison (1943-2001)

    George Harrison (1943-2001)

    Happy 78th birthday to George Harrison, born on this day in 1943! This might seem like a bit of a departure from my usual posts – but alongside history, music is one of my big loves, and I’d really like to start sharing this alongside what I’m reading and learning about! I always liked the… read more

Subscribe

Enter your email below to receive updates.