Monthly Archives: March 2011

March 27, 2011

Hello Breathing Space

Well, for a short while at least.  It is now the holidays at Uni, and though I have essays to write it’s nice to have a short break to do something relaxing.

I’ve also been taking a few days leave from work here and there, and on Friday after a break of several years I visited Duff House again.

Duff (designed by William Adam) after a chequered few years, is now an art gallery, though it is not simply paintings and sculpture et al, rooms have been beautifully re-created with furniture, carpets, china etc.

It also has lovely grounds, which include and Ice House and the family Mausoleum.  I love a good mausoleum!

4 Comments

Filed under Art, BlahBlahBlah, Places to go

March 21, 2011

The Neverending History Book Story!

A while ago I posted about some of the many history books I’d like to get my hands on.  I thought it was about time I updated the list (with some extra art of course), so here we go!  I should also take the time to give a special shout-out to my friend Helen, who gave me a book of Heaney’s poems as part of World Book Night.

Many of these are out of print, some are up to the minute releases:

  • Creating Paradise: The Building of the English Country House 1660-1880 by Richard Wilson
  • Country Life’s 100 Favourite British Houses by Candida Lycett Green
  • The English Country: Living in England’s Private Houses by Caroline Seebohm
  • Jane Austen’s Christmas by Maria Hubert
  • The Polite Tourist: Four Centuries of Country House Visiting by Adrian Tinniswood
  • Passion and Principle: Loves and Lives of Regency Women by Jane Aiken Hodge
  • The English Country House: An Art and a Way of Life by Olive Cook
  • The Glory of Venice: Art in the Eighteenth Century by Andrew Robinson
  • The Last Princess: The Devoted Life of Queen Victoria’s Youngest Daughter by Matthew Dennison
  • William Dobson, 1611-46: The Royalists at War Exhibition Catalogue by Malcolm Rogers
  • Regency Etiquette: The Mirror of Graces, 1811 by a Lady of Distinction
  • Mistress of the House: Great Ladies and Grand Houses 1670-1830 by Rosemary Baird
  • The Georgian Country House by Dana Arnold
  • The British Country House in the Eighteenth Century by Christopher Christie
  • Richard and Maria Cosway: Regency Artists of Taste and Fashion by Stephen Lloyd
  • Thomas Lawrence Portraits by Richard Holmes
  • Victorian Painters by Jeremy Maas
  • Portrait Miniatures from the National Galleries of Scotland by Stephen Lloyd
  • Gainsborough at Gainsborough’s House by Hugh Belsey
  • Regency London by Stella Margetson
  • London’s Pleasures from Restoration to Regency: Two Centuries of Elegance and Indulgence by David Kerr Cameron
  • Regency Recollections: Captain Gronow’s Guide to London and Paris by R.H. Gronow
  • Faberge Eggs: A Retrospective Encyclopedia by Christel Ludewig McCanless
  • Art: The Definitive Visual Guide by Andrew Graham-Dixon
  • 100 Dresses by Harold Koda
  • A World History of Art by Hugh Honour
  • The Kings and Queens of Scotland by Richard Oram
  • Parham: An Elizabethan House and its Restoration by Jayne Kirk

So it’s fortunate that as I commented upon Rachael’s post – I too have had a book-like wand waved in my direction (if you pardon the expression) and Appliances Online have given me £25 of Amazon vouchers to spend too!

Yahoo, art book shopping here I come :mrgreen:   Good news is – if you comment, you could win a voucher too…

4 Comments

Filed under Books

March 20, 2011

Miss Zena Dare

Some time ago, I posted some of my collection of movie photographs.  As you know, I love the vintage stuff – especially the vintage films!

While I was thumbing through the lovely Old Postcards shop (as you’ve probably noticed I love these too), I came across a ghost from the past – namely Zena Dare (in this case, pictured with her mother).

Now, as you will have seen from my old posts, for the most part the stars of the time are usually recogniseable.  Zena Dare however, was a name that I hadn’t heard before.

Zena Dare (born Florence Hariette Zena Dones) was born in 1887 in London, and in 1899 along with her sister Phyllis had her first performance on the London stage.  They both took the stage name of Dare.  From then on, her career was to last over six decades – only having a break when she married and raised 3 children.

Zena died in 1975, her sister following 6 weeks later.  Both their careers are well worth looking into, and there are some amazing pictures of them still in existence.  Here a just a few of mine.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Antique, History, Photos, Theatre

March 12, 2011

Field Trips Galore!

Just a quick hello, to thank everyone who has supported me with my study and exams recently – I passed with flying colours!

I am now doing several more History of Art and Scottish History courses.  I thought my regular readers might enjoy hearing about the Field Trips I am doing for the History of Art one.

Every other week, after a lecture on the topic, we take the field trips.  We visited/are visiting the following places:

It’s amazing to get to go out and experience art first hand, and I’d really missed this during my course last term.  Though it’s nice to read books and look at pictures, nothing compares to the real thing – so make sure you get out there and experience some art near you very soon!

I’ve enjoyed all my visits, but I loved the galleries in Edinburgh, and so nice to be able to catch the Young Vermeer exhibition before it finished.  I’ve just recently finished reading The Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, so it was a funny coincidence too!

Leave a Comment

Filed under Architecture, Art, Exhibitions, Places to go