Hell's Princess Review

Book review time! I first saw this book when I went in for an interview earlier this year and jotted down the name super fast - Hell's Princess - The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men. Honestly, how does that title NOT catch your attention? After reading the synopsis later, I knew I had to read it based on this:

Victorian/Edwardian Eras - We all know I'm a huge sucker for this subject alone.

Real life murder mystery - Let's just not mention how many serial killer documentaries I've watched, it's bad.

It's not Jack the Ripper - Seriously, anytime a Victorian serial killer is brought up, it's usually Jack the Ripper or H.H. Holmes, so it's nice to have some new material.
 

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It starts like most true crime stories do. Brynhild Paulsdatter Størset (Belle's original name) was a Norwegian immigrant to Chicago, Illinois, during the latter half of the 1800s. She had a seemingly normal childhood, aside from some noticeable character flaws, but nothing that was outside of the norm for that time. She worked, later married, had some children and a buried a couple, adopted another child, and then the husband died under questionable - but not completely mysterious - circumstances.

And that's the first 16 pages of the book.

How to Read a Dress Review

While I get photographs done of my first few projects for the year, I figured I would get my book review up. I have tendency to peruse Amazon excessivily for books because I don't mind a cheap, used copy of some things. How to Read a Dress by Lydia Edwards showed up in my "You may also be interested in" feed and thankfully the library had a copy available.

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The book looks very promising from the cover. It has a lovely 18th Century dress with historical features pointed out. A quick flip through shows lots of pretty dress pictures from the 1500s to modern day with similar analysis. Not to drop the bad news right away, but I'm glad I only borrowed a copy. 

Fashion Victims review

The Bata Shoe Museum opened an exhibit a while ago entitled Fashion Victims: The Pleasures & Perils of Dress in the 19th Century. Along with the exhibit, a book was released, Fashion Victims: The Dangers of Dress Past and Present by Alison Matthews Davis.

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At the immediate time, I probably won't be able to get up to the exhibit, located in Toronto, and it ends June 2016. But the companion book was available through my library so I put in order

Victoria's Daughters review

Because most of my projects right now consist of Christmas gifts for the upcoming holidays, I really can't put up anything right in relation to said projects (Spoilers!). Instead I'm going to try and spend the month of November catching up on my backlog of reviews. We're starting with a book.

Queen Victoria's Daughters by Jerrold M. Packard was plucked from a used bookstore maybe 2-3 years ago and I finally read it over the summer. As the title states, the core material covers Queen Victoria's five daughters; Vicky (Victoria), Alice, Helena, Louise, and Beatrice. From the formative years of their parents' relatioship, to the final days of Princess Beatrice during WWII, the book touches upon each of the Queen's daughters and the unique lives each of them lived.

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As the daughters of a monarch who ruled over a quarter of the earth's population during her reign, the princesses' lives were closely watched - and ruled - by not only their parents but by their subjects as well. Each had their own personality, passions and faults, that helped define who they were as adults. Along with their lives, their statuses as British princesses had a huge impact among the ruling houses of Europe as marriages were made, alliances were formed then broken, and wars later waged.

The Dressmaker review

Up for review this month is a piece of historical fiction that I read recently - The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott. The premise of it was good. A young girl, Tess, who works as a seamstress, manages to hitch a last minute ride of the legendary Titanic. The person sponsoring her passage is none other than Lady Lucile Duff-Gordon, dress designer extraordinaire. In the wake of the Titanic's disastrous encounter with an iceberg, the story follows the characters through the days after the sinking and rescue to the U.S. inquiry that delved into how the accident happened.

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This short synopsis follows the summary on the inner cover and while it managed to intrigue me, the actual book itself was a far bigger disappointment.

Death of a Schoolgirl review

In case it has never been mentioned, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is probably my favorite piece of classical literature. I've read the book a couple of times, and have seen almost every single film adaptation. Jane Eyre is one of those pieces that is well-loved by many, as evidenced by the numerous spin-offs or "sequels" that other authors have written over the years that continue Jane's story

Note: Some spoilers included in case you have yet to read the book or see a film version.

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Dating like it's 1885

A couple months ago, I began dating for the first time. During a recent conversation, the subject of Victorian courtship was brought up. As I explained to Kerry, it's funny because I actually know the dating rule book from over 100 years ago, and it has changed quite a bit. How much? Well this is for Kerry, enjoy babe.

During the Victorian Era, the idea of dating was nonexistent. Instead couples went through a ritualized form of it known as "courting." Rather than being the romanticized ideal found in fiction, the courtship period was actually viewed more as a career move for a gentleman.

Courtship differed for each of the classes on both sides of the pond (America and England), due to different ideals and laws that were in place. For people growing up in rural areas, it was not as strict of an ordeal. Young couples could socialize with each other at events such as Sunday services, church gatherings, and community balls. Men were usually looking for a wife who would aid in helping to run the farm or the house, women for a husband who could financially support and take of them. These partnerships would have probably had a bit of mutual affection from both parties upon marriage.

Within the rigid structure and tradition of the upper classes though, courtship was very different. Matches were often made to aid in climbing the social ladder or to bring income into an impoverished estate or business. Rather than the church picnic, the way a young lady was introduced into Society was as a debutante at the start of the Season (England) or after she had finished her schooling (America), which was when she was about seventeen or eighteen. American society functioned on a year round social schedule. The London Season however, was the height of matchmaking for both American heiresses and English society girls. The Season ran from April through July and was an endless string of dinner parties and balls that the young woman attended in hopes of catching the eye of an acceptable suitor.

Acceptable meant a number of things. Usually a higher income was desired, the larger the better. Connections with business partners and the peerage were a plus. The holding of a title of any type was the ultimate catch.

The acceptable suitor was selected during the numerous social functions both men and women attended. Balls were the equivalent of speed dating that could lead to the courtship ritual. At these functions would be men and women of good standing and connections, in other words, acceptable marriage material. As previously mentioned, courtship was ritualized by strict rules. A certain amount of decorum was expected from these same men and women who were looking for a suitable partner for more than just the next quadrille.

• Ladies must never enter or cross a hall unattended.
• No gentleman is allowed to enter the ladies' dressing room at the ball.
• Ladies should not dance with the same partner twice in a row, neither could they dance with the same gentleman for more than three dances.
• Unmarried (and married) ladies could not leave the ballroom alone.
• Gentlemen could never lead a lady into the ballroom by the hand, instead he offered his arm.
• Gentlemen who were waltzing never pressed upon a lady's waist if he was not wearing gloves. If he had no gloves, he used a handkerchief.

This is just a handful of the etiquette rules found regarding balls. Because of it's rigidity, endless rules, and the interfering presence of chaperones, it could be hard to speak with anyone directly. The art of flirting using various accessories - fans, handkerchiefs, gloves, parasols - became a means of showing initial interest. Surprisingly, this silent communication was permitted because it was deemed acceptable.

Along with meeting, couples then had to be introduced properly, also requiring its own set of rules:

• Unless being introduced by a mutual friend, a lady could not approach a person of higher rank. Before a lower-ranking person could be introduced, the higher-raking person also had to give permission.
• Single women could not address men without first being introduced to them.

After the introduction and an initial conversation, the couple could look at possibly walking out together and keeping company. These were the initial stages of courtship, also dictated by another set of guidelines.

• A lady could not receive a gentleman in her home while she was alone. Another family member had to be present.
• No physical contact was allowed between the couple. The gentleman could offer his gloved hand if the road was rough, but this was it.
• The lady could not be invited to visit the gentleman's place of residence.
• Ladies could not ride in a closed carriage alone with a man, unless it was a close family member.
• If a gentleman was visiting the lady's house, he could not stay late and did not visit at night.
• Impure conversations were not held in front of single women.
• Intelligence was not encouraged by the lady, neither was an interest in politics.
• Meetings were supervised by a chaperone, typically an older female family member of the lady's family.

If the courtship progressed to the point of an engagement, the couple were then allowed to hold hands in public, go for walks unsupervised, and take unchaperoned rides. They were also allowed to meet behind closed doors, but had to be separated by nightfall.

While this method of dating may seem vastly outdated, it was in place for various reasons. The first was that a lady's highest asset was her virtue. These rules helped to ensure that it was never called into question. If there was even a whispering against the lady's character, it could forever tarnish her reputation. Courtship was also taken seriously because once it progressed to the point of an engagement, it usually resulted in marriage. Broken engagements were fodder for gossip and tarnished reputations.

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For more fun info on Victorian etiquette and courting check out these books.

The Essential Handbook of Victorian Etiquette by Thomas E. Hill

Manners & Morals of Victorian America by Wayne Erbsen

To Marry an English Lord by Gail MacColl

The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in Regency and Victorian England 1811-1901 by Kristine Hughes

Queen Victoria's Gene book review

This book I chanced across while browsing through the history section at Half Price Books. While interested, I didn't buy it right away. Instead, used the old smartphone to snap a picture of the cover, went home and ordered it from the library instead.

It's been a while since I read a purely non-fiction piece of work and this one had me intrigued just from the title alone - Queen Victoria's Gene: Haemophilia and the Royal Family.

Amazon.com

For those who are not familiar with the history of Queen Victoria's family, they were carriers and recipients of the Hemophilia gene, a blood disorder that mostly affects males in the family by preventing blood from clotting properly. Two of Victoria's daughters, Alice and Beatrice, were carriers of the disease, and her son, Leopold, was affected by it. Through her children, it came to affect a number of the royal houses in Europe. What it strangely intriguing though, is the Hemophilia gene was never prevalent in the royal family until Queen Victoria's time.

The authors, D.M. Potts and W.T.W. Potts, set forward their research and ideas in the book about where this gene could have come from. Was it a 1 in 50,000 chance mutation, or was Victoria herself possibly the illegitimate offspring between the Duchess of Kent and a Hemophiliac man? The research is impeccable, and scientific proof helps to back up any of the theories they put forward.

The let down for me in reading this was based on the synopsis on the back cover, the authors were going to explore the possibilities of how history might have been different if the Hemophilia gene had not been prevalent in the royal families, specifically the Romanovs of Russia. In each of the history chapters though, they reiterate the historical facts, then relegate the alternative outcomes to only a few short paragraphs.

Exploration and investigation into other historical mysteries like the identity of Anna Anderson, the supposed lost Grand Duchess Anastasia, help to round out a the author's research on how Hemophilia could also help in identifying those who were related and what their roles could potentially mean.

The material itself isn't too dry, despite being rooted in historical and scientific facts mostly. It's the theories and the material that is put forward that drive book (excluding one chapter that just didn't make sense to me on why it was included). Although I know a number of things about Queen Victoria's family, there were still a few surprises (Kaiser Wilhelm and his wife are both great-grandchildren of the Duchess of Kent and therefore cousins), and definitely a few more questions to ponder.

Overall rating - 3.5 out of 5

And Only To Deceive book review

So a long time ago my mom sent me a couple of books. "Here, you'll like these. They're mysteries and they take place during the Victorian period." And they sat on my shelf, for forever.

Well I finally decided to get around to reading them recently, only to discover that it was a SERIES of books and that I had #2 and #3, but #1 had disappeared somewhere. Lucky me, the library had an electronic copy available for lending so I got it, started reading, and was finished five days later. The last time I read a book that quickly was before I got a full-time job and had endless hours to burn, so that says something. So what is this great book?

Let me introduce you to the Lady Emily mysteries, written by Tasha Alexander. And Only to Deceive is the first in the series, but based on this book alone I'm ready to jump headfirst into the rest.

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The story is told from Lady Emily Ashton's point of view. A widow after only six months of marriage, she is finally emerging from her deep mourning period and has reentered society, only to find herself embroiled in a mystery involving museums, art forgeries, and the black market for stolen antiquities.

While the mystery is not a very deep one, Alexander does a wonderful job of keeping the plot twisting and turning to the point that even I wasn't quite sure where it would end up.

What particulary interested me though, was the accuracy in which Alexander portrayed Lady Emily's emotions and actions as an upper middle-class Victorian woman. Her thoughts of marriage as any easy way out of dealing with an overbearing mother and of seeing widowhood as a way to finally be independent, were very realistic views that some woman had during this era. I've read other Victorian inspired historical fiction pieces before, and it's obvious the author has taken someone with modern view sets and plopped them in a Victorian world. Alexander's Lady Emily however, is a Victorian woman who is completely at home in her late 1880's time period.

Due to similar names, the side characters were sometimes confusing, but this is made up for by each of their historically matched development and attitudes. History buffs will recognize some of the names (Renoir, with whom Lady Emily has a painting done by), and a number of the locations mentioned in the story.

In addition, the costumer in me was secretly drooling over the fact that there are several mentions of Lady Emily visiting with and receiving dresses from the House of Worth. Alexander mentions that she thoroughly researched her material and based on some of the dress descriptions, I would love to know if they are real Worth dresses (I suspect at least two are from originals) and if there are any made up from designs or other existing dresses.

After glancing through the other books on my shelf, I suspect that these are not heavy duty reading, and fall more into the category of a great afternoon read. Although this is only my first foray with Lady Emily, I greatly anticipate the next outing.

Overall rating - 4 out of 5

Corseting - Myth vs. Fact Pt. 2

A continuation of the previous post on corset myths and facts.

With these next myths, a number of the elements fell under previous headings, but the speculation behind them led me to place them in their own space. 
 

Image via Pinterest

Myth #5 - All women who wore corsets tight-laced them
Not true. While most women who could afford even a basic corset did wear one, not all women had the luxury or stamina to tight-lace. A working woman who had to rely on her mobility would not have chanced the restrictiveness of tight-lacing. An upper class or rich lady however, would have the means and ability to pursue tight-lacing if she chose.

Before we go into women who did tight-lace, we'll first cover what tight-lacing is exactly. The Victorian ideal for waist reduction was about 2"-4". Tight-lacing was even more extreme, reducing the waist by 4" or more. Rigorous training was involved with tight-lacing, usually beginning when the woman was a young girl. She would wear a corset that, over a gradual amount of time, would be reduced in size little by little. Take a look at Princess Mary of Teck's waistline. While it cannot be confirmed that she tight-laced, this was not something achieved overnight.

Image via Pinterest

When the desired waist size was achieved, it would be very hard to move around, breathing could only be done with small amounts of air since the lungs were compressed, and blood flow would be reduced to the internal organs.

Because of the extreme lengths at which the waist was reduced, it could result in health problems that were more extreme than some of the conditions mentioned in Myth #3. It also had a severe detrimental effect on the body...

(A small note on tight-lacing. I accidentally did it once while in a hurry to change into costume and forgot to measure my waist beforehand. I spend the entire morning feeling very light-headed, my ribs ached miserably, and even sitting caused pain. When I later checked, I had laced myself down to 31", I'm usually at about 33"-34".)

Myth #6 - Corsets deformed the natural body shape
Any time you alter the body in a way that it does not naturally occur, you are, in a way, deforming it. Even pierced ears are considered a way in which we alter our natural bodies. Corseting, especially tight-lacing, did the same exact thing.

Corsets molded and shaped the body to make the waist smaller. Worn on a daily basis as they were during the Victorian and Edwardian periods, the body would eventually start to retain some of the shape created by the corset. 

This illustration was used mostly by anti tight-lacing campaigners to show the effects a corset could have on a woman's body. Regular corseting may have compressed the ribcage and internal organs slightly, but not as much as tight-lacing did. Organs could end up in different locations altogether, and in some cases, the lower lungs would be compressed so badly that they would fill with mucus since the woman couldn't breathe in completely. The rib cage would be completely reshaped into a smaller form with the ribs angling more inward.

Before anyone starts to scoff and say how untrue it is, visit the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia sometime. They have on display two skeletons next to each other; one is a regular skeleton, the other is one that suffered the effects of tight-lacing. They look almost exactly like the illustration above. I would offer pictures as proof, but photography is not allowed in the museum.

The corset that was mostly responsible for the whole "deformation" issue is the Edwardian corset of the early 1900s. As fashion evolved at the turn of the century, so too did the corset that went underneath. Instead of a straight-backed hour glass figure, the awkwardly bent, S-bend became all the rage. This new figure still retained the reduced waist, but now the corset was designed to push the woman's lower backside back, and thrust her upper chest forward. The body does not naturally shape itself this way and led to increased strain on the spine.

Illustration from Ladies Home Journal, 1900

Myth #7 - Corsets were restrictive and uncomfortable
Now that we've read up a tiny bit on tight-lacing and S-bend corsets, I can certainly understand where the ideas of corsets being torture devices could come from. I believe this myth mostly surfaces from the lack of understanding about corsets though.

Corsets are restrictive. Yes, they are, I won't deny it. Remember how your grandmother always said to bend at the knees to pick things up? Your grandmother might have worn a corset once upon a time because when wearing one, there is no bending over. There is no slouching either, or quickly turning around. Basically your body is encased from hip to bust in a thick garment that has molded the body into an entirely different shape that requires careful movement to make sure that the displaced mid-section stays momentarily displaced.

Corsets are uncomfortable. No, they are not. Let me explain this one. A corset is not uncomfortable if it is fitted correctly. This is the key element here. Corsets are not a one size and design fits all type of garment. Although they are not tightly worn, a corset is like a glove that is snug over the body and molds to the individual's curves and body shape. A proper corset is designed and fitted to the individual who will be wearing it on a regular basis. If Susie takes Lisa's corset and puts it on herself, chances are it will be very uncomfortable because they do not have to the same body shape.

Here I must speak as the experienced wearer. I bought a ready made corset long ago and wore it for a long time. It was somewhat uncomfortable and while it did shape to my body after a while, it still didn't fit in certain areas (I have been gifted with almost no cleavage). I finally coughed up, bit the bullet, and made my own corset to match my body shape and measurements. What a difference! I have never experienced discomfort while wearing it, and actually enjoy wearing the corset under my costumes now. 

Myth #8 - Whew! Thank goodness the Victorian Era is over and corsets died out
Nope, corsets are still alive and well today. They of course exist because costumers/re-enactors use them to achieve a period correct look for historical clothes worn in the modern day. A number of companies and small businesses, like Orchard Corset, make ready made corsets for use as fashion pieces, shape wear, and for other costuming purposes. Some women actually prefer corsets to wear not for waist reduction purposes, but for support of the bust. While a bra places all the weight of a woman's bust on her shoulders, a corset supports it from below and the weight is placed on the corset.

Like their earlier counterpart, the whalebone stays, corsets have evolved over the years to take on different shapes. The best modern-day counterparts are the girdle and Spanx. Although neither look remotely like a corset, both take the mid-section of the body and shape it into a more desirable appearance.

Girdle from Orchard Corset

Spanx from JCPenny

Corsets also exist for modern medical purposes too. Individuals with scoliosis or internal injuries may wear a specially designed medical corset to help limit mobility in the torso and protect it.

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These are just the handful of myths that I hear most often when the subject of corsets is brought up. I certainly invite for additional input on other factoids heard throughout the years since some can be quite be amusing. I hope this has been informative and for those looking to discover more, I suggest these books:

The Corset: A Cultural History by Valerie Steele

Bound to Please: A History of the Victorian Corset by Leigh Summers

A History of Underclothes by C. Willett Cunnington

The Night Circus review

I decided to wait a couple days before doing this review because the people I know who've already read it loved it, and then I've seen reviews from those who just didn't like it whatsoever. I myself picked it up on the recommendations of others and because it takes place during the Victorian period. The final conclusion though? I'm somewhere in the middle.

Written by Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus itself is the backdrop for a match between two magicians, their competitive guardians, and the outcome that perhaps none were expecting. Beginning in the 1870s, it jumps between different dates as integral characters are introduced and developed, finally ending in the modern day.

Amazon.com

We meet Marco and Celia as children, two strangers whose only relation is the long standing rivalry between her father and his guardian. Both are trained at an early age in the art of magic, they meet years later against the backdrop of the newly developed Night Circus or Les Cirque des Reves. This is not your typical circus. There are numerous tents instead of one. Everything and everyone is in black and white, there is no color. And there is no schedule, it simply arrives without warning.

Morgenstern's writing style throughout the book is entrancing, transporting the reader to the dreamworld that the circus itself seems to be made of. The characters are well-developed, the story unique and intriguing, and the narrative absolutely beautiful. One part The Prestige, one part HBO's Carnival, and equal parts mystery and love story, the balance makes a good story.

However, the offset for me was the development of the story. The initial setup of everything and the necessary back stories was somewhat drawn out (over half the book) to the point that I kept putting it up and putting it down. With no huge plot twist or sudden turn of events, I was finding it hard to keep at the book. It wasn't until the last third that I suddenly found myself eagerly turning the pages to find out what happened next. So in the end, I did enjoy the book, but the rather slow beginning was a bit of a put off.

On the plus side, it must be noted that the movie rights have been optioned by Summit Entertainment and the screenplay is currently in production. If The Night Circus is made into a movie, I look forward to it to see how they adapted the story, but also for also those gorgeous black and white costumes that Celia wears in the book. 

Overall rating - 3 out of 5