Hilary Davidson’s Dress in the Age of Austen
In yesterday’s mail was a very welcome copy of Hilary Davidson’s Dress in the Age of Jane Austen: Regency Fashion. Periodically, I search for new and upcoming releases of books, including about Austen, about England, about history. I remember the cover,
Everyone will recognize “Mrs. Q.”
But had I paid it much attention? I hate to say, ‘No.’ But when it arrived in the mail (unexpectedly!) the surprise was as pleasant as the receipt. A great deal of text; photographs of actual garments, political cartoons, and period portraits. The table of contents spoke to me as one who researches young ladies of the same period, who certainly exhibited this same variety of fashion personae:
- Self
- Home
- Village
- Country
- City
- Nation
- World
When I turned to the title page and saw Yale University Press my good impression was complete.
Who says that Mail only brings BILLS?!?
A full review in the near future.
In the meantime, Yale has a brief (16 seconds) YouTube film, showing the interior of the book. Elyse Martin has written a lengthy review on Historians.org called “Fashion Forward.” A brief review from Publishers Weekly. See also Hilary Davidson’s website. A nicely-lengthy preview is available on Books.Google.
Davidson has written on Jane Austen’s Pelisse and its construction and replication. It was an important re-read for me when writing about Cassandra and Jane Austen for the recent JASNA AGM in Williamsburg, Virginia. The pelisse illustrates a tall, thin woman – and my Emma, soon after her marriage to James Edward Austen, described Cassandra, whom she had recently met in person. But it wasn’t until distilling the words of Anna Lefroy (Edward’s elder half-sister) that it dawned: Anna recalled a game she played, in which she guessed “which aunt” belonged to “which bonnet.” Between Anna’s game and Emma’s description, the conclusion becomes that the same silhouette must describe Cassandra Austen as well as her sister Jane Austen.
- read the full review of Dress in the Age of Jane Austen (21 March 2020)
Bonhams: Jane Austen’s Letter 88
This is a further update to two posts:
Although I watched the auction online and was witnessing the climb and climb in price, the “at the hammer” price did NOT INCLUDE the premium paid to Bonhams. Now comes “news” (ie, not news at all) that the auction of Letter 88 of Jane Austen from the Dodge Collection “sold for a new record”: $200,075.
It is any wonder no one cared to forewarn entities like the Jane Austen House Museum, as Kathryn Sutherland advocated, in order to come to terms prior to a public auction?
From The Guardian article (7 Oct 2019):
“Sutherland said that ‘because of specific domestic details within it, it would have by far the greatest resonance inside the collection held by Jane Austen’s House Museum in the cottage where Austen lived and wrote’.
Earlier this year, the museum launched a crowdfunding campaign to help it raise the £35,000 it needed to buy a snippet of a letter written by Austen in 1814. …
Sutherland said it was particularly sad that publicly funded organisations like Jane Austen’s House Museum were unable to compete with international commercial buyers, ‘because so few Austen letters are retained for public benefit in British institutions’.
Considering that Britain has in the past disallowed artifacts to leave its shores, should the Dodge Austen letter be allowed to leave the U.S.? One entity that I thought should have partaken in the Battle for Letter 88 was The Morgan Library & Museum – the owner of a substantial collection of Austen letters. How about “retained for the public benefit in American institutions”?
Deborah Yaffe commented on this idea of a “home country” for Austen letters, this one in particular, in her blog post “Going, going…”
That its cost beat the auction estimate – $80,000 to $100,000 – was a no brainer even as it was affixed to the catalogue. Austen is “hot property,” a growing phenomenon ever since Darcy’s wet shirt…
Even ratty Victorian paperbacks – I’m in the midst of reading Janine Barchas’ book The Lost Books of Jane Austen (purchased after the Williamsburg AGM after her “highlight” plenary presentation “The Lost Copies Northanger Abbey” – sell for much more than the proverbial “song” when they’ve got JANE AUSTEN attached to them.
Let’s face it, Austen is priced out of the reach of most institutions. Without knowing the depth of coffers (or generous donors) some like The British Library or Oxford University or, yes, the Morgan, have recourse to, it is guesswork only.
What I want to know is, Who Bought Jane Austen?
Maybe it was singer, TV host Kelly Clarkson! The letter sold for less than the ring AND it’s already in the U.S.
Follow the Auction – Bonhams Online
Auction for the sale “Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including the Dodge Family Autograph Collection, Natural History, Travel and Americana” begins at 1 PM Eastern (US) Time.
Bonhams has a “watch live” link!
For the Sale in general – Bonhams link.
For the special “watch live” link – Bonhams watch live link.
Bonhams catalogue for the sale can be viewed online or downloaded or ordered(see bottom of page).
Austen is Lot 5. Will she sell? For how much? and most importantly: To Whom?
The amount of items is interesting, as is the Dodges’ areas of collection.
I recollect watching an auction in which a diary of an Austen (early) neighbor; the lots went by QUITE swiftly. Of course, I had JUST missed the lot I was interested in seeing (by the time I found the link and got it working). So, “start watching” early!
RESULTS (1.15 PM)
I joined the auction late – 1.08 PM; Austen was already in the spotlight!! (So I do not know the starting bid…).
Even at that moment, the bidding was standing at $90,000 – to an online bidder. According to the auctioneer, it was a Battle of TWO Online Bidders.
As mentioned, they move swiftly from lot to lot; with little chatter about each lot. Bidders can be in the room; on the phone; online; absentee.
As I watched the bids went up in increments of $10,000….
$90,000…
$100,000…
$110,000…
$120,000… [about this time we learned two bidders, both online]
$130,000…
$150,000… (I might have missed a bid here, not sure…)
$160,000… At the hammer – to paddle #5060. Of course, out-distancing its estimate ($80,000-$120,000). As was expected, by me at least.
Jane Austen’s Letter 88 for SALE!
2019 must be a banner year for JANE AUSTEN letters.
Early this year came news of a snippet included in an autograph album (sold at auction in 2017); the album was on display at Chawton’s Jane Austen’s House Museum.
During the Summer, the museum successfully concluded its purchase – thanks to funding from the National Lottery AND devoted fans – of a lengthier partial letter
NOW, in October, comes word of a New York auction conducted by Bonhams of a Jane Austen letter from a private collection coming onto the market, part of the DODGE FAMILY COLLECTION of Autographs.
The Guardian has a lengthy article on the (upcoming) October 2019 auction.
Of course, every time, the same trope about how Jane Austen’s sister Cassandra destroyed the correspondence crops up. I’ve just spoken about this at the recent Jane Austen Society of North America’s 2019 Annual General Meeting, which took place this year at Williamsburg, Virginia. _I_ give thanks for those letters that have come down to us, rather than lament those that probably never were saved (but that’s a topic for another post).
Two Teens in the Time of Austen 