British History - Tumblr Posts
Personal tribute to such an impressive person as Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Gosh, his life is something incredibly inspirational. I guess it could be a perfect lesson to anyone.
Cw: Implication of suicide
Illustrations from Lord Castlereagh: Europe’s Forgotten Father by Ian Knox
You definitely want to follow this superb artist and amazing specialist in the 18th - early 19th century British affairs! 🌺
Herzlich willkommen! ❤️
that one duel thingy just to see how it might go
Still trying to figure out what to do with this blog, so I've decided to compile some art (that i still like cause i don't like... a lot) people-wise so that the folks out here might get the general idea of who and what I draw???? Idk.
I guess part 1/? being (small, with some intruders)
Liverpool
Damn, I should draw him more...
Now we expand, part 2/? being the disaster that is
Canning
You know, war crimes
History memes #46
The Scots Guards 1891
Drawn on May 19, 2022
A Spotter in London (1940)
An Observer Corps Spotter on a rooftop in London (1940). The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was a civil defense organization in the UK that ran from 1925 to 1996. Mostly ran by civilian volunteers, their task was to spot, track, and record aircraft over the country. The ROC's origins dates back since the Great War when the country experienced bombing raids from German zeppelins. They played an important role in WW2, notably the Battle of Britain, and was titled "Royal" by King George VI in 1941 for their service.
Yk I suggest using plastics so that way it's more harder:3
my camera quality is poopoo but heres nelson in his glorious keychain-ifed form i think it turned out so cute :333
What if instead of Arthur Wellesley,it was Arthur 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝓼𝓵𝓮𝔂 ,and instead of the being the duke of Wellington it was 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂𝓽𝓸𝓷
(please don't excommunicate me💀)
It’s FRIDAY FASHION FACT! As Halloween approaches, costume parties seem to be happening all over the place. So this seems like the perfect time to talk about one of the most famous costume parties in history: The Duchess of Devonshire’s Diamond Jubilee Ball.
In the summer of 1897, the nation was celebrating Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, 60 years on the throne. At the time, this was the longest reign by a monarch in British history (A few years ago, Queen Elizabeth II became the second British monarch to reach this milestone, surpassing Victoria’s full reign a just few months ago.) Louisa Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire, was well known in society. Before marrying the Duke of Devonshire, she had been married to the Duke of Manchester, causing her to commonly be referred to as “The Double Duchess.” When she was a young woman in the late 1850s, she was appointed to the highly respected position of Mistress of the Robes, giving her influence over the Queen’s household. She became very close to the the Queen at this time, and though it is rumored that Victoria became less fond of the Duchess in later years, the Duchess remained close with several members of the royal family.
It was only natural, then, that she would throw one of the most lavish Jubilee celebrations. On July 2nd, all of society’s elite flocked to the grand Devonshire House. It is rumored that up to 3,000 princes, countesses, lords, and other nobility from far and wide attended the event, though that number is likely exaggerated as only 700 invitations were sent. Even the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, and the Duke of York, the future King George V, attended. While it was always expected that guests would “dress to impress” at such an occasion, the expectation was taken up a level, as the soiree was declared a fancy dress (aka costume) ball. All the attendants were asked to dress as members of famed royal courts, whether foreign, ancient, or mythological. Of course, not everyone followed the guideline exactly, many guests taking inspiration from classical art instead. Yet all took great care, and money, in ensuring their costumes were flawless.
Top couturiers, including the legendary Jean-Philippe Worth (son of Charles) were hired to create elaborate costumes, often encrusted in fine gems, and intricately embroidered with precious metals. Seamstresses worked tirelessly to fill the demand. More money was spent on some of these ensembles, which were only worn once, than many people at the time made in a year. These efforts did not go unnoticed, though. The Duchess had a temporary photography studio set up at the ball to memorialize all of the elaborate looks. Of course, with so many guests (and the fact that at the time, one had to sit still for over a full minute for a clear photo) not all were photographed. Several gentlemen specifically avoided it, as they did not want to be seen as “foolish.” Sadly, many of the images were lost over the years, with about 200 surviving. Even so, it is incredibly rare for so many images from a single event to exist from the late 19th Century. It was well known that the photos would be published after the event, so several guests returned to the photographer in costume during the following months if they were not satisfied with their original portrait.
The photos were printed on cards and sold to the masses, not an uncommon practice at the time. Yet the prints were not available for some time after the event, and naturally no one wanted to wait so long to learn the details of the event of the season. Luckily, the press was all over it. The very next day, the papers were filled with every minute detail of the party, complete with sketches of some of many of the costumes. The buzz about the event remained for some time after, and thanks to the beautiful images that remain, we can continue to fawn over the incredible looks today!
Have a question about fashion history that you want answered in the next FRIDAY FASHION FACT? Just click the ASK button at the top of the page!
PETITION HERE
VICEROY’S HOUSE (Dir: Gurinder Chadha, 2017).
Viceroy’s House is a fact based drama detailing the events surrounding the Partition of India from British born Indian director Gurinder Chadha.
Set in 1947 Delhi during the dissolution of the British Raj. As the last Viceroy of India, Lord Louis Mountbatten (Hugh Bonneville) is to oversee the transition from British rule to Independence. India is a country divided, between those who wish the independent nation to remain intact and those who wish to establish the separate Muslim country Pakistan. Against this backdrop is the Romeo and Juliet-esq tale of Jeet (Manish Dayal) and Alia (Huma Qureshi) whose love is thwarted as he is Hindu and she is Muslim.
The Partition of India was a bloody mess at the hands of the UK government. As the film's postscript informs us "14 million people were displaced and one million Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs died". It is a dark episode in 20th Century British history rarely spoken of in the UK. For this reason, Viceroy's House is a difficult film to criticise, as it relays such an important story. Perhaps it can only be faulted for not depicting how truly horrific it was.
Hugh Bonneville is very effective as the beleaguered Mountbatten faced with the thankless and controversial task of dividing India. He is surrounded by a quality supporting cast of acting legends including Gillian Anderson, Michael Gambon, Om Puri and Simon Callow. As the star-crossed young lovers Manish Dayal and Huma Qureshi are both touching and appealing.
Director Gurinder Chadha is a talented filmmaker. Her feature is incredibly moving and made more powerful by the knowledge that it draws upon Chadha's own family history; her grandparents were among those displaced and her aunt starved to death on the migration.
It could be argued that Chadra's gentle approach to Partition does make a challenging subject more accessible for audiences. The fact that it addresses an issue largely untold in film is significant, however more palatable that issue has been made. The powerful tale may provide uncomfortable viewing for many, but do not let that dissuade you from watching this ultimately very moving film.
Check out my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of Viceroy’s House. Link below.
1917 (Dir: Sam Mendes, 2019).
A fact-based, fictionalised epic First World War drama from director Sam Mendes.
During WWI, Lance Corporals William Schofield (George MacKay) and Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) must risk their lives crossing no man’s land in order to deliver a message to call off a planned attack on the German army. With field telephone lines down, news that the attack would jeopardise the lives of 1600 Brits, including Tom’s brother Lieutenant Joseph Blake (Richard Madden), must be relayed in person.
Read the full review on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
Anthony Eden fucking deserved to be disgraced for the Suez Crisis and at no single point could he have made a WORSE decision than the one he made. The only thing he could’ve done in addition to make it worse is drop a fucking nuke on either the US or the USSR but he didn’t and instead he fucked up so badly that in the middle of the goddamn Cold War both the US and the USSR agreed that he was a buttfuckery of a man that needed to get the fuck out and no I will not shut up about this
Fun fact: I aced a pop quiz in my British history course because the question (yes, singular question) was about fascism in the UK in the 20s and the Blackshirts and I only knew because I’d read an in-depth analysis on why Crowley is never seen in black in those flashbacks and no one else knew the answer
Anyway, if someone says fandom is useless, know that thanks to fandom, I have aced 3 pop quizzes at uni
Crowley: I ONLY wear black shirts.
1921: Fascists wear black.
Crowley: This lovely grey shirt. Slight shade of blue, even. And a red tie. Fantastic.
Further Adventures at Bluebell
The front half of the shed at Sheffield park was cleared out and turned into a bar for this event, so I didn’t get to see quite all of the engines. However, there were still a few in the back half, the main, sort of, museum bit of the shed.
Obviously Stepney and Captain Baxter were in there, as were the Wainwright C Class, the standard 4 75027, and a cute little LMS 0-6-0 that I didn’t photograph.
Portrait of Queen Mary II of England (1690) by Sir Godfrey Kneller. Royal Collection at Windsor Castle.