| Fortunate for posterity that when the
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| | hostess, and then stand (never sit) in
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| American Mr. Louis Simond made a trip to
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| | rooms crowded with elegant people,
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| Regency London in 1809, he not only
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| | jostling and moving about to find one's
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| stayed in the fashionable West End of the
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| | friends, with no entertainments offered
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| city, but kept notes on what he saw
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| | and apparently no refreshments. He
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| there. He recorded details about the
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| | mentions the lack of cards, music, and
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| general tide of life for the residents
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| | even conversation. Supposedly, the aim
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| who lived, loved and
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| | was to get there, be seen, and to see
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| played there. His are not the only
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| | whomever else had
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| eye-witness notes we have of the period,
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| | braved the crowded streets to
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| but they are revealing.Simond was amused
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| | attend.When ready to leave, waiting for
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| to notice that, firstly, no one "stirred"
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| | one's carriage was the next trial, after
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| earlier than 10am. At that time, shops
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| | which it was on to another "at home"
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| became
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| | (what we would call an "open house"party
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| sleepily awake, and the Horse Guards
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| | today). One can imagine the sheer
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| were on the move in a noisy parade, their
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| | exhaustion of attending just one or two
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| daily march from the barracks to Hyde
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| | of these in a week! And yet they were
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| Park. But what of the ton, the inner
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| | constantly being hosted, and the greater
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| circle of fashionable society?These lofty
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| | your popularity and consequence, the more
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| souls did not appear until nigh three or
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| | invitations you would receive.Entire
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| four o'clock, when, in a great racket,
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| | evenings could be spent attending such
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| they would begin making their "morning"
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| | things, and, as the grid-lock and flux of
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| calls, or go shopping or promenading, or
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| | carriages in the
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| grace an assembly room with their
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| | street and their accompanying flambeaux
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| presence. Why was the beginning of their
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| | gave away the location of these affairs,
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| day so late in the afternoon? Because it
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| | they were virtually public knowledge--and
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| went on until early next morning, or even
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| | therefore heavily attended.So much for
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| 'til dawn.Simond says there was gaslight
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| | the painstaking work of ordering and
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| on the streets, and this, in 1809
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| | sending little gilded invitations to an
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| (earlier than most of us thought); but
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| | elite list of recipients, weeks in
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| the lights were not effective, and after
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| | advance. As Mrs. Bentley notes (in
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| being lit at dusk, did little to illumine
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| | "Before the Season Ends,"**) "a hostess
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| one's way ( but made "little brightish
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| | always prefers a crush to its opposite!
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| dots" in a line going down the
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| | But important members of the ton must not
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| street).*There was a lull of activity
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| | be made to suffer!" Alas for Mrs.
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| around this time, and then, from six
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| | Bentley, it was seemingly unavoidable at
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| o'clock to about eight, after people had
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| | times.Interestingly, a picture of a
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| dressed for dinner and evening
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| | "rout" occurs in the BBC "Sense and
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| entertainments, the racket and street
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| | Sensibility" with Emma Thompson and Kate
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| traffic started up again. Another lull
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| | Winslet. The scene where Marianne spots
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| would follow, and then near ten o'clock
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| | her mysteriously absent sometime suitor
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| the crush of carriages was back with all
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| | and cries out (quite unfashionably)
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| its ensuing noises: The thunderous
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| | "Willoughby!" Some people are shown with
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| hoof-beats, whinnying, whips cracking,
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| | a glass in their hand, and there are, I
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| people laughing, wheels turning,
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| | believe, servants making the rounds with
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| churning, and lumbering along the cobbled
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| | trays. A generous host, no doubt, but
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| roads. It was an awful din that rarely
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| | this was apparently not always the
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| subsided before midnight.In the book, Our
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| | case.Either way, I must still say, the
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| Tempestous Day, Carolly Erickson says
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| | Regency? You've got to love it!c 2006
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| that, according to Simond, "At one
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| | Linore Rose BurkardAcknowledgement goes
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| o'clock it was still difficult to sleep
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| | to Carolly Erickson's "Our
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| for all the commotion. Gradually, though,
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| | Tempestuous Day: A History
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| the number of carriages diminshed until,
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| | of Regency England," in which she
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| as the sky began to grow light, only a
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| | discusses Simond's visit.Linore Rose
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| single carriage was heard now and then
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| | Burkard writes Inspirational Regency
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| at a great distance. The fashionable
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| | Romance as well as articles on Regency
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| world went to sleep, not to be roused
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| | Life, Homeschooling, and
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| until long after noon." *The next day, it
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| | Self-Improvement. She publishes a monthly
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| would start all over again, and the
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| | eZine "Upon My Word!" which you can
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| endless whirl of activity called the
| |
| | receive for FREE by signing up at her
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| "season" would continue.Simond also
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| | website quickly and easily.Ms. Burkard
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| detailed what it was like attending a
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| | graduated from the City University of New
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| party (or, "rout") of the fashionable.
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| | York with a Magna Cum Laude degree in
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| After waiting in long
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| | English Literature, and now lives in Ohio
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| carriage lines along the street to gain
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| | with her husband and five children.
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| entrance, one would greet the host or
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| |
|
