#Charlotte Bulmer

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Bad movie I have Zombieworld 2015

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Fashion Friday - Russian Style

Today we have some vibrant plates from the 1811 edition of Edward Harding’s Costume of the Russian Empire printed by Thomas Bensley for John Stockdale. This work appears to be one of two competing publications of the same name, both first appearing in London in 1803, with texts in English and French. Both works copy the same plates and draw from the same textual source material (chiefly Gerhard Friedrich Müller, Peter Pallas, and William Coxe) as an earlier German work by Johann Gottleib Georgi, published in St. Petersburg by Carl Wilhelm Müller in the latter half of the 1770’s. The introduction to our text acknowledges the existence of this competing volume, saying “without deprecating the merit of other performances of a similar nature, the Publisher flatters himself that it will be found the most compete work of the kind that has hitherto appeared in this or in any country,” indicating the enduring quality of the “no offence, but … (full offence)” statement. 

Edward Harding (1755-1840), the humble individual quoted above, was responsible for gathering the text descriptions and was publisher of the 71 hand-colored plates. Harding, at the time of the initial 1803 publication, had just been appointed librarian to Queen Charlotte, and was responsible for operating her private press. Our 1811 edition appears to be a second printing of a 1810 second edition, with descriptions expanded from the first edition, though it is unclear if the dedication to Charlotte’s daughter, Princess Elizabeth, was present in earlier editions. Perhaps someone out there with a 1803 or 1810 pressing can weigh in!

The text was printed by Thomas Bensley, a collaborator of Friedrich Koenig, inventor of the high-speed steam-powered printing press, and Bensley himself made innovations in adapting steam-powered printing to book publication, as well as advancements in lithography. Bensely was considered by many to be one of the finest printers working in London in his day, with William Bulmer his main rival. This edition is published by John Stockdale, who incidentally published the other English/French Costume of the Russian Empire (with text by William Alexander and a different arrangement of the same plates) concurrently with the Harding edition. Bensley did the printing for both. I can find no comment on their opinions of which is the superior publication.

Harding writes, “the people of such extensive regions, stretching over a considerable part not only of Europe, but of Asia, exhibit a singular diversity in their Manners, Customs, and Dress.” The volume collects “their most striking Costumes.” Presented here, in order, are:

1. A Female Tartan of Kazan 2. A Female Ostiak 3. A Kurilian 4. A Female Yakut 5. A Katschintzian Tartar Woman 6. A Mordvin Woman of the Mokchanien Tribe 7. A Tongusian, in his Usual Dress 8. A Female Kirghis. 9. A Tschouvachian Woman 10. A Woman of Finland in her Holiday Dress

I’m particularly fond of the head gear on the Tartan of Kazan and its evocation of chain mail partnered with the elegant draping of her red dress (or is it a wide-legged trouser?). 

 Check out our past Fashion Friday posts.

-Olivia, Special Collections Graduate Intern

[artofcompost]

Comedy, Tragedy, Romance

A handout for my Shakespeare students, late in the game, after we’ve teased a lot of it out in conversation. Trying to draw it together into a sort of whole, without making our thought boxes too rigid.

I. Comedy

Toward a Theory of Comedy

In our discussions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night, we speculated that for something (a line, a conversation, a play as a whole) to be funny,…