Harriet Smart's Blog
March 1, 2017
Hello world!
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June 22, 2015
The Shadowcutter
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October 11, 2012
My love hate relationship with the Internet
Sometimes it feels to me that the internet is a like stray animal who has come to live in my house. Sometimes it is the most charming, useful, companion and I cannot imagine how I ever managed without it. At … Continue reading →
April 24, 2012
Men in wigs and dresses to die for.
I have a bit of a crush on Peter Lely. In fact I’m a bit confused about it. Here is the gentleman of whom I speak – his self portrait of 1660, from the National Portrait Gallery. Not exactly my … Continue reading →
January 11, 2012
Mourning becomes her
This is another painting from the Birmingham Museum Collection which riveted me during my teen years. It's called Boer War and it's by John Byam Shaw. Naturally as a melencholic adolescent I loved it for the rather stagy, sensual, wallow … Continue reading →
November 21, 2011
Why I love Victorian paintings
I grew up with this picture: On Saturday mornings, while my sister was at youth orchestra, my father and I would often have a quick scour round the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. It was the galleries devoted to … Continue reading →
November 16, 2011
In praise of translators
I have read Madame Bovary, honest gov, I have. Except that it was in French, so I haven't really read it. At one time my French was worth a B grade at A'level in the days of yore when hardly … Continue reading →
September 19, 2011
Why you should never throw away receipts.
No, I'm not talking about taking stuff back or "just in case" scenarios connected with everyday life. I'm thinking of future immortality in the historical record. As a novelist and social historian the receipts and printed debris of the past … Continue reading →
September 18, 2011
The best Edwardian country houses in Scotland
Wondering where to go to get a glimpse – with a distinctive Scots accent – of that seductive Downton Abbey lifestyle? These houses were not necessarily built in the Edwardian era but they all have glorious interiors characteristic of the … Continue reading →
September 14, 2011
Choir Tea Dough Balls
Some time ago I blogged about the virtues of bread making to help in the process of making fiction. A friend asked for my favourite dough ball recipe today and since I had to type it up for her I … Continue reading →
