Kristine Hughes's Blog, page 18

PRIDE OF HONOR – The Men of the African Squadron

Guest Post ANDREA K. STEIN Imagine a small crew of men rowing up a mosquito-infested jungle estuary in the darkness of night, silently gliding through lands dominated by warring tribal chiefs. Their mission? Stop trafficking in human slavery. Does this sound like the plot for a movie based on a special forces or Navy SEALS … Continue reading "PRIDE OF HONOR – The Men of the African Squadron"

Johann Zoffany by Jo Manning – Part Two

Akin to the group paintings of the Sharps, Gores, Impeys, and Queen Charlotte’s family, is Zoffany’s cluttered-with-many-many-bodies iconic painting of the founding members of the Royal Academy – a painting faithfully reproduced whenever a piece about that august association is published – showing the two female founders, Mary Moser (a painter of exquisite still life, … Continue reading "Johann Zoffany by Jo Manning – Part Two"

Osterley Park, An Adam Jewel

by Victoria Hinshaw Osterley Park was once a rural retreat but today it is in Greater London, reachable by  the tube (look for the Osterley stop on the Piccadilly line).  The original Tudor mansion was built in 1575 by Sir Thomas Gresham, banker and founder of the Royal Exchange.  The old house was built of red brick around … Continue reading "Osterley Park, An Adam Jewel"

Johann Zoffany by Guest Blogger Jo Manning

Originally published in 2012 Jo Manning at the tomb of Johann Zoffany and some of his family members, St Anne’s Church, Kew, on a very cold and very grey day at the end of May 2012. (I am wearing 5 layers of clothing.) Nearby is the tomb of Thomas Gainsborough who, born six years before … Continue reading "Johann Zoffany by Guest Blogger Jo Manning"

The Tale of Lady Hertford, Prinny, Audubon and Chinese Wallpaper

In 2010, there was an exhibit at Temple Newsam in Leeds entitled ‘A House of Birds: American Birds in a Chinese Garden,’ which told the amazing story of what happened when the former owner of Temple Newsam House, Isabella Ingram (known as Lady Hertford), decided to get creative with the décor in her sitting room in 1827. … Continue reading "The Tale of Lady Hertford, Prinny, Audubon and Chinese Wallpaper"

A TOUR GUIDE IN ENGLAND: KEDLESTON HALL

As seen during Number One London’s 2017 Country House Tour –     If you’d like to see a selection of England’s stately homes first-hand, visit the Number One London Tours website for itineraries of our upcoming tours.  

MORE SIGNS – THE 2019 SCOTTISH TOUR

Beginning in London . . . . .               And on to Scotland . . . . .          

HAPPY NEW YEAR

During the Blitz, Daily Mail photographer Herbert Mason was on fire watch on the roof of his office building when he witnessed the bomb destruction happening around St. Paul’s Cathedral. Not knowing whether the Cathedral would survive, Mason fetched his camera and captured this photograph of St. Paul’s, which ran in the Daily Mail on … Continue reading "HAPPY NEW YEAR"

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

December 25th My Own Heart – The London coach arrived today, bringing with it your gift of a partridge and a pear tree. You are too clever by half!Yours For Eternity December 26th My Love – Two turtle doves! How simply smashing. I cannot wait to see you again that I might thank you personally. … Continue reading "THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS"

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER and ITS TREATMENT IN REGENCY ENGLAND

Louisa Cornell Sir Gilbert Blane At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Sir Gilbert Blane (1749–1843), Physician of the Fleet, argued that the incidence of insanity in the Royal Navy, which he estimated at one in a thousand, was seven times that of the general population. To explain this striking disparity, he identified head injuries, … Continue reading "POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER and ITS TREATMENT IN REGENCY ENGLAND"