Category: Victoria Hinshaw

Charles Greville on Lord and Lady Holland from 1841

Charles Cavendish Fulke Greville (1794 – 1865)  kept a journal during his many years as an associate of the poltical and social leadership of Great Britain.  He was essentially a well-born gentleman of leisure who knew “everyone” and went “everywhere.”  You can access all his work on-line at Project Gutenberg.  Greville characterizes Lady Holland’s domineering style as she chides a respected historian, below.

Charles Greville
From The Greville Memoirs (Second Part), “A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1852″   (Volume 1 of 3)  by Charles C. F. Greville
“December 31st, 1840:
The end of the year is a point from which, as from a sort of eminence, one looks back over the past… That which has made the deepest impression on society is the death of Lord Holland. I doubt, from all I see, whether anybody (except his own family, including Allen) had really a very warm affection for Lord Holland, and the reason probably is that he had none for anybody. He was a man with an inexhaustible good humour, and an ever-flowing nature, but not of strong feelings; and there are men whose society is always enjoyed but who never inspire deep and strong attachment. I remember to have heard good observers say that Lady Holland had more feeling than Lord Holland–would regret with livelier grief the loss of a friend than this equable philosopher was capable of feeling. The truth is social qualities–merely social and intellectual–are not those which inspire affection. A man may be steeped in faults and vices, nay, in odious qualities, and yet be the object of passionate attachment, if he is only what the Italians term ‘_simpatico_.’…
Henry Vassall Fox, 3rd Baron Holland, c. 1795
“January 21st, 1841: I dined with Lady Holland yesterday. Everything there is exactly the same as it used to be, excepting only the person of Lord Holland, who seems to be pretty well forgotten. The same talk went merrily round, the laugh rang loudly and frequently, and, but for the black and the mob-cap of the lady, one might have fancied he had never lived or had died half a century ago. Such are, however, affections and friendships, and such is the world.

Holland House, 1896
“Macaulay dined there, and I never was more struck than upon this occasion by the inexhaustible variety and extent of his information…It is impossible to mention any book in any language with which he is not familiar; to touch upon any subject, whether relating to persons or things, on which he does not know everything that is to be known. And if he could tread less heavily on the ground, if he could touch the subjects he handles with a lighter hand, if he knew when to stop as well as he knows what to say, his talk would be as attractive as it is wonderful. What Henry Taylor said of him is epigrammatic and true, ‘that his memory has swamped his mind;’…
Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859)
“We had yesterday a party well composed for talk, for there were listeners of intelligence and a good specimen of the sort of society of this house–Macaulay, Melbourne, Morpeth, Duncannon, Baron Rolfe, Allen and Lady Holland, and John Russell came in the evening. I wish that a shorthand writer could have been there to take down all the conversation, or that I could have carried it away in my head;…
Elizabeth, Lady Holland (1770-1845), c. 1793
” …and then the name of Sir Thomas Munro came uppermost. Lady Holland did not know why Sir Thomas Munro was so distinguished; when Macaulay explained all that he had ever said, done, written, or thought, and vindicated his claim to the title of a great man, till Lady Holland got bored with Sir Thomas, told Macaulay she had had enough of him, and would have no more. This would have dashed and silenced an ordinary talker, but to Macaulay it was no more than replacing a book on its shelf, and he was as ready as ever to open on any other topic….
sketch by Sir Henry Landseer of Lady Holland, Lord Holland and Mrs. Brown (maid)
c. 1833, National Portrait Gallery
” It would be impossible to follow and describe the various mazes of conversation, all of which he threaded with an ease that was always astonishing and instructive, and generally interesting and amusing…. ‘I remember a sermon,’ he said, ‘of Chrysostom’s in praise of the Bishop of Antioch;’ and then he proceeded to give us the substance of this sermon till Lady Holland got tired of the Fathers, again put her extinguisher on Chrysostom as s
he had done on Munro…“

The Hedgehog Factor

Victoria , here.  Was it my childhood love for Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle?

Or just because they are so darn cute?

 Whatever the reason, I love hedgehogs, and over the years, I have collected quite a few. Not real ones, of course. Real ones are increasingly endangered, while those on my shelves are sitting pretty.

Maybe one of the sources of my love for hedgehogs comes from my admiration for the British hedgerow, which gives the countryside so much character. Yet, these are also in danger.

picture from the NLS: National Hedgelaying Society

I was quite appalled at reading — in a recent issue of Country Life  — about the urgency of the need for protecting hedgehog habitats in Britain and developing new ones, perhaps in urban gardens.  As usual with vanishing wildlife, we have met the culprit, and he is us, encroaching humans and our urge to pave over everything.  Along with loss of habitat, cars and pesticides endanger hedgehogs.

The source for  more information is here.   Hedgehogs are not native to North America, which makes them all the more interesting — and a bit exotic.

As I was surfing the internet, I found several websites offering hedgehogs as pets.  Though I know some people like to tame wild animals, I am not so sure that living in a cage would be very comfortable for a hedgehog. On the other hand, keeping one in the garden might be quite fun. Actually a pair might be more agreeable to the little creatures.

As an example of ideal adaptation, I cannot imagine anything better than a hedgehog.  They eat insects and small animals such as frogs, as well as vegetation.  Once I played with a baby hedgehog in Greece, feeding it bits of lettuce and tomato. But generally, hedgehogs are nocturnal, so if you want them around in the daytime, I highly recommend the kind I collect: made of wood, ceramic, brass, or fabric. 

Whatever the material, they always make me smile.

RWA in New York

Victoria here, with my report on the Romance Writers of America Conference in New York City, June 29 to July 1, 2011, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on Times Square.  I attended soon after returning from my European adventures so I was definitely in the early-to-bed group and probably missed half the excitement. Below, the statue of George M. Cohan, one of the fathers of the Broadway musical.

Before the official start of the conference, my roommate and travel buddy, Judith Laik, and I took in the Frick Museum at 90th and Fifth Avenue.

Their pretty gardens were full of scaffolding, sad to say. But a few roses clung to the fence on Fifth.

This building was the residence of the Henry Clay Frick (1849 -1919) family from its completion in 1912 to the point at which it was turned into a museum for his collection of old masters. Some additional construction was needed but part of the very nice atmosphere there is the feeling that you’re in a home – just like your very own nest, of course.  Don’t we all have Vermeers, Gainsboroughs and Rembrandts on our walls and priceless ceramics on precious antique tables? 
One must acknowledge that Frick was a notorious robber baron, but that makes his little gem in Manhattan no less delightful to visit.
After the opening luncheon, I moderated a workshop given by Jennifer Kloester (left) and Sabrina Jeffries entitled “Keeping it Real: Regency Research Georgette Heyer Could Believe In.” Jennifer is the author of Georgette Heyer’s Regency World and has a biography of GH coming out soon.   Sabrina has written more than two dozen novels, most set in the late Georgian period.

After an afternoon of meetings, we went out to catch a breath of fresh (?) air, and saw the rays of the lowering sun gild the Chrysler Building a few blocks away.

Sunset over the Hudson River from our room on the 22nd floor.

I managed to fit in a quick trip to the New York Public Library where I never fail to find an engaging snippet of knowledge in a brief visit.  Sometime I’ll spend an entire day there.  How about a month?

The noble beasts always get my respect.  Are they the guardians of all knowledge – or symbolic of the majesty of the contents behind them?  In case it looks like I spent most of my time flitting about the city, let it be known that I worked two full mornings as a volunteer at the editor-agent appointments desk, attended several workshops and PAN (Published Author Network) sessions and many other activities. And I spent a bundle on taxis.

Before the RITA ceremonies on Friday night, Judith and I browsed through the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We could hardly do more than scratch the surface, but it was wonderful.

We found the British period rooms temporarily closed off, to our disappointment. As devotees of the Regency, we had looked forward to visiting a little bit of London in NYC. But in the American Wing, we found the colonial and federal period rooms almost as useful for our research.

For example, this sideboard was made in New York City about 1812 by French emigre cabinet maker
Charles Honore Lannuier (1779-1819) of flame-grain mahogany veneers. Shown on top are decanters, flutes, and wineglasses, most of them made in Pennsylvania and New York.

This table was made in Philadelphia, c. 1830, of mahogany, marble and brass by another French emigre, Anthony Quervelle (1789-1856). He also made tables for the East Room of the White House. The side chairs are attributed to the Baltimore workshop of John and Hugh Findlay, c. 1815-25.

Elsewhere in the Met, we stumbled upon Napoleon, in the form of a tapestry in wool, silk and metal thread, in its original pine frame. It is based on a 1805 portrait by Francois Gerard (1770-1837) of the emperor in his coronation robes. Woven in the workshop of Michel Henri Cozette (1744-1822) in the Gobelins Manufactory, 1808-11.

At last we found the British paintings — works by Reynolds, Gainsborough, Raeburn, Hoppner, Lawrence, and many more of our favorites.  Below, three examples.

John Hoppner (1758-1810): Mrs. Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Her Son
Thomas Gainsborough (1728-1788): Mrs. Grace Dalrymple Elliott
Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792): Captain George  K. H. Coussmaker
Judith and I hustled back to the hotel for the awards ceremony which presented Ritas for published novels and Golden Hearts for unpublished manuscripts, sort of the Oscars for romance writers.
Rita

  The hustle and bustle was over for another year.  Several thousand women — and some men too — had a lot of sleep to catch up on.

Rufus Sewell on Masterpice…Sunday, July 17

Victoria, here. Be still, my heart!  I know I have been busy and preoccupied these past weeks, but RUFUS SEWELL, my #1 heart throb actor, on PBS Masterpice this week?   And I almost missed it???

Luckily, I did not fall asleep during Miss Marple last Sunday, though I came close.   Not that the show was boring — just that things have been catching up with me. So I nearly missed the promo for the next week’s presentation: Zen, the story of a detective in Rome. Here is the PBS description of the three episodes.

It will come as no surprise to regular readers of this blog that I, Victoria, am a fan of Rufus. From the first moment I saw him as Septimus in Tom Stoppard’s brilliant play Arcadia in London many years ago, I have followed his career with special interest.  See my blog of  8/11/2010 for more pictures and comments on his various film, stage and tv appearances.

Though he is admired as a versatile actor in a wide variety of roles, Rufus Sewell has never hit the pinnacle of  acting, the BIG role that thrusts a performer into the stratosphere of stardom.  Though he has played many character parts, he also excelled in the leading man roles that capitalize on his dark good looks and sexy eyes. 

Perhaps these three episodes in which he stars as Aurelio Zen, a Venetian-born detective in Rome, will do the trick. Or then again, perhaps he doesn’t care to be a household name.  The episodes ran first in the UK on the BBC, based on novels by Michael Dibdin.

The three episodes are Vendetta (screening July 17), Cabal (screening July 24) and Ratking (on July 31).  Watch with me and let me know if you think this is the break-through role for Rufus.

With The Beau Monde in New York City

On Tuesday, June 28, 2011, the Regency chapter of Romance Writers of America, met at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in advance of RWA’s national convention. More on the Beau Monde here. The day’s activities celebrated the 200th anniversary of the English Regency, which began in 1811 when George, Prince of Wales, became Regent for his incapacitated father, George III.

Mary Jo Putney, Keynote Speaker
The conference was ably arranged by Karen Erickson, chair; along with Isobel Carr, Melissa Golden,
Susan Gee Heino, Mary Gramlich, Kate Pearce, Sally MacKenzie, Janet Mulany and Sharon Sobel. Many more members contributed to the silent auction. We had a fine menu of presentations.

Jo Ferguson spoke on Location: Traveling to England for research.

Janet Mullaney’s topic was Saints, Sinners, Slavery and Sugar.

Victoria Hinshaw spoke about the Battle of Waterloo, here showing a slide of Vicky, left, and Kristine with the Duke of Wellington at the battlesite in 2010. 

I missed a picture of Isobel Carr and Delilah Marvelle who spoke on The Culinary World of Regency England, but I caught up with Isobel later at the Literary Signing.  Sorry, Delilah!

Judith Laik told us all about Women Scientists in the late Georgian and early Nineteenth Century periods.

Paula A. Baxter spoke on Setting the Scene: Putting Authentic Period Interiors and Furnishings into Your Writing.

The menu at tea was equally tempting.

Below, a few tables of writers fulfilling two basic purposes of the meeting:  networking and noshing.

Left, our pal Louisa Cornell, and right, Victoria, who prepares to give her earlier talk.

The Beau Monde took a break for the National Literacy Signing, and Sally MacKenzie was ready to meet her fans.

And so was Julia Justiss, another of the 100’s of authors who donated their time to benefit  literacy.

At the evening soiree, Beau Monde President Regina Scott prepared to lead the dancing. But where was Reggie, or more properly in true Beau Monde style, Sir Reginald?

More eager dancers, l-r, Sheri (Mysterious Lady), Leslie Carroll, Susan Gee Heino.

And now for a funny picture I found in a file of old RWA stuff.  This was taken at the first Beau Monde Conference held in Dallas in 1996.  A group of us had met at the last Marriott Marquis Hotel RWA conference two years before; we decided we could not arrange much for Hawaii the next year.  So we  organized for a great time in Dallas. The chapter started a pre-conference meeting tradition that continues to the present.   I appear below as The Dowager Duchess, whose late husband left her EVERYTHING because he had fallen in love when he saw the portrait of her long ago (above the bar in the penthouse of the Dallas hotel next to  the balloroom where we met).  Sadly,  the dress was later decorated by a glass of red wine and retired from the fray.