#copper haired cuddlebug

[acrossthewavesoftime]

Apparently, the last Friday in January was designated in 2016 as "National Big Wig Day" here in the U.S. Given my enthusiasm for all things mid- to late-1700s, I'm choosing to interpret this as "National Eighteenth-Century Big Wig Day"!

Happy Big Wig Day! Go big, or go home! 🤣

Thank you, my friend, for giving me this important piece of information! Which reminds me of this accursed video... ;-)

Since I'm not in the US, I would not have known; it may also have been eclipsed a little on Tumblr and elswhere, as the whimsy and fun of putting on a silly hairstyle for a day may have been somewhat overshadowed account of coinciding with International Holocaust Rememberance Day this year.

Having read up on the origins of Big Wig Day, I was quite surprised to find that behind the fun, there is the serious goal of raising awareness and funds for charitable causes (particularly illnesses (or their treatments) that cause hair loss)! In a reverse-Big Wig way, Yours Truly is currently growing out her hair for donation for a charity providing wigs to children with cancer or alopecia. I don't know how much longer I'll keep growing it out as the length is getting cumbersome, but I currently could do a boat 'do using my own hair (and the underwires and padding used to create the shape of course).

It is, by the way, a shame that modern-day hair stylists don't offer the boat anymore, or else you would see me, a fellow enthusiast of the period, marching about town with a fully rigged first rate naval ship of the late 1700s on my head...

Once I'll cut it off, I'll resort to the boat hat, as seen here on a picture from 2017 Nation of Gondwana Festival by user Nicor on Wikipedia:

Still has a marvellously 18th century vibe to it, no?

Funnily enough however, our friend John Graves Simcoe was not too much of a wig fan; at least the only portrait showing him in one depicts him at about 18 years old.

His godfather Samuel Graves stopped wearing wigs pretty early on, I'd say, too; those were big wigs without big wigs! ;-)

[curufiin]

@copper-haired-cuddlebug the people have spoken

[greenofallshades]

Look what came in the mail for me—a calendar from @copper-haired-cuddlebug with 12 months of Captain Cuddlebug! 😍

Girl, this is so adorable and sweet. Thank you so much. The photos are amazing—the poses, composition, everything.

Here’s January Cuddlebug gazing pensively out at the snow.

I think my favorites are November SickCoe

and romantic February Cuddlebug. Y’all—look at the little candlestick and the POEM. It’s Simcoe’s Valentine to Sally Townsend, in miniature. I am dead.

Copper, thank you again—I love it!! ❤️❤️❤️

[acrossthewavesoftime]

In honor of the New Year 2023, here's a simple post submission for your consideration:

It is always good to hear from you. And what a pretty post it is, too! What kind of wood is it?

I actually do have a post in which a gate poas [spelling definitively intended, check the post out] features prominently as the place were Admiral Graves's blackmail letters were put by anonymous perpetrators.

Considering this... Do you also want me to give you 52 pounds and 10 shilling of "lawful Brich Mony"!? ...Need I be worried? ;)

[greenofallshades]

@copper-haired-cuddlebug said:

It still baffles me that the TURN creators were going to kill off Simcoe in the pilot episode. Think of how narrowly they came to wasting such a fascinating character!

Ikr? I mean, being sincere, it would have been a much more bland show. Also not nearly as aesthetically pleasing. And he gave the other characters a lot of healthy exercise as they ran around trying to kill him.

[montmartre-parapluie]

#7 for Hewlett, Andre, and Simcoe!

NICE. Thank you for this wonderful selection of TURN characters, @copper-haired-cuddlebug!

Seduce: Simcoe. Sorry. The poor chap is a bit affection-starved due to his unnerving creepiness, but once you get past the murderous unblinking outer shell, you do get poetry and a bit of emotional vulnerability. Provided you don’t go in all ‘I am absolutely doing this to get something from you’ a la Anna, I think Simcoe could really benefit from a bit of emotional (and er, physical) connection via seduction. I’m doing it for the cause, Abe. Really. 

Steal From: Major Andre. I’m sorry, Andre! You seem a very nice chap and all, but I’m not taking the risk of stealing ANYTHING from Simcoe, and stealing from Hewlett would just be...mean. You’re well off, you have a nice library - just give me a couple of books you’re not bothered about and we’ll call it quits, eh?

Serenade: Hewlett. Poor chap is probably getting the rough end of this deal, but if he doesn’t mind me belting out All I Ask of You at top volume, then... good for him. 

[greenofallshades]

[acrossthewavesoftime]

You should definitively vote in this poll, @copper-haired-cuddlebug!

What we're seeing here are two light infantrymen of the Queen's Rangers, pretty much as they would have appeared during the American War of Independence. The crescent moon badge on their caps is a nod to Artemis/Diana, goddess of the hunt.

A Light Infantry Man and Huzzar of the Queen's Rangers, ca 1780 [prior to John André's death], anonymous watercolour, c. 1900, in the Baldwin Collection of Canadiana.

Fun fact: it's pretty easy to pin down the portrayal as post-(2nd) October 1780, as Simcoe had ordered the addition of a black feather to the caps of his corps following the death of his close friend, the famous Major John André. Simcoe had offered General Sir Henry Clinton to go on a secret mission to save André, but Clinton, with a heavy heart, one imagines, declined, fearing he might lose Simcoe as well as André, causing Simcoe's relationship with Clinton to cool. The feathers were only worn on the caps for representative/ceremonial occasions, if memory serves.

The Queen's Rangers were a highly interesting unit, and their commander, John Graves Simcoe (1752-1806), quite a character, though always very defensive of 'his' Rangers, and not shy to write and self-publish a damning pamphlet or even a self-righteous book-- so take heed before you press the dislike option on the poll! ;-)

[cuntycassandra]

Hi! I recently joined the amrev fandom and consequently ended up following a bunch of minors. I don't really mind following minors as long as they're comfortable with it since I'm 21. But I was wondering if you knew of any amrev accounts of people that are older? Thank you <3

Hi there :) nice to meet you!

Uhm…well, I’m technically not a minor, I’m 18, my content has become a little scarce recently but the Jacky Custis and George Washington posts should start raking up again soon if that’s your speed.

@binch-i-might-be isn’t strictly an amrev blog, but she does write some amazing fanfiction centred around Hamilton, Laurens and Washington.

@torivikachu tori also writes very good poems and fanfiction, she also posts a lot of history based shitposts.

@the-lord-high-admiral-themself I’m pretty sure Byrd isn’t a minor! Their blog is 👌 amazing. (I’m sorry if you are Byrd I don’t think I’ve ever asked!)

Here’s a couple other people I’m pretty sure are above the age of eighteen!

@living-history-lesson @revolutionaryante @copper-haired-cuddlebug @revwarshenanigans @nordleuchten

If anybody else knows or anymore blogs to add, please do!

Hope this helped you out, friend! 💛

[cottagehearth]

Fandom tag from @potatomoose

1. Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling - Molly Weasley

2. Persuasion, Jane Austen - Anne Elliott

3. Doctor Who - The Tenth Doctor

4. Aubrey-Maturin Series, Patrick O’Brian - Stephen Maturin

5. Star Wars (Original Trilogy) - Han Solo

6. Turn: Washington’s Spies - John Graves Simcoe

7. Over the Garden Wall - Greg

8. Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien - Samwise Gamgee

9. Outlander - James Fraser

10. Indiana Jones - Prof. Henry Jones, Jr.

I tag.... @greenofallshades @copper-haired-cuddlebug @crosseyedstargazer

[acrossthewavesoftime]

On this anniversary of the passing of "Infant Graves," I thought I might pose a question to you that (by some chance) you might know the answer: what was the cause of Simcoe's death?

I've read the usual biographical publications about his life, but I have yet to come across any discussion on what killed Simcoe. I know he had a combination of health issues throughout his life (e.g., asthma; migraines; battle wounds; etc.); however, during the journey to Portugal, something affected him so seriously that it was deemed necessary to rush him back to England. What could have possibly caused him to decline so rapidly?

(If there are any primary and/or secondary sources discussing this, I'd be interested in reading them!)

Thanks for letting me pick your brain. :)

Hello there, my fellow friend of the Man with the Urns!

[edit: dear @copper-haired-cuddlebug, can we also talk about how "Infant Graves" bespeaks just how infamously tone deaf Samuel Graves actually was? Calling his baby godson Infant Graves...]

It's an interesting question, and I can only give as precise an answer as speculations based on what little material we have allow. However, there are some clues from Simcoe's letters that his biographer Mary Beacock-Fryer cites in her work.

It seems like generally speaking, his health was taking a turn for the worse in 1805-1806. I would guess that the main complaint he was struggling with was his asthma or rather, the lasting effect this at the time largely untreatable disease had had on his respiratory system and general health.

Both Simcoe and his wife knew he was not well when he received the offer of the Portuguese mission, but he went anyway. What makes his decision even more tragic is that he initially toyed with the thought of refusing and staying home:

I cannot hesitate a moment in saying that the command therein pointed out is not suited to my inclination nor to that experience nor sort of ability that I believe myself to possess.

John Graves Simcoe to Thomas Grenville, 27 July 1806, in: Beacock Fryer, Mary: John Graves Simcoe 1752-1806: A Biography, Toronto 1998, p. 241.

In the end, I assume what caused him to go was his desire for public recognition of his services to the country- he had before had entertained high hopes of receiving a title just before embarking on the journey to Upper Canada, and his stint in Haiti fighting for a cause he as a private citizen detested was (also due to his ill health, which almost landed him in hot water for supposed desertion) very brief. Quite likely, he saw a chance to finally earn the public laurels he, who had devoted his career to the higher cause he deemed was serving his country, had so long covetted.

Interestingly, Beacock Fryer mentioned that his family (i.e. his wife and the oldest daughters) thought he was in a solid enough state of health to go to India, but not to travel to Portugal on short notice.

And so he went. On 2 September, he wrote several letters home, one of them to his eldest daughter, Eliza, claiming he was feeling better after having had to be brought ashore at Coimbra to convalesce. To Elizabeth, he wrote:

[...] & well I did so, for I was seized with the asthmatic paroxysm on my return, which lasted seven hours, during which period I exhausted the whole artillery of medicine for my recovery, but being skilfully attended by the faculty, & most affectionately nursed by my friends & servants, I thank God that I am perfectly convalescent.

John Graves Simcoe to Elizabeth Posthuma Simcoe, 2 September 1806, in: Beacock Fryer, Mary: John Graves Simcoe 1752-1806: A Biography, Toronto 1998, p. 243.

Clearly, Simcoe was only telling half the truth, in order not to alarm his wife and children. Despite receiving treatment from a naval surgeon, the voyage had badly affected his health. Again writing to Elizabeth, he identified the causes of his illness as the "Hurry of the voyage", having been made to share a single cabin with 8 men and most interestingly, mentions the HMS Illustrious, the ship in which he was travelling, was being painted with "white lead on the outside & verdigris [a green colour produced by oxydated copper] within" while on voyage to Portugal.

Paint fumes were known to be health hazards, so I am quite surprised that Simcoe, whose ill health was not a secret, was put aboard HMS Illustrious of all ships.

Interestingly, we have a letter from his quasi-mother-in-law, Margaret Graves, talking about the dangers of paint fumes in relation to her house rennovations half a year after Simcoe's death:

I have been sleeping on two Sophas in the great Drawing Room for this month past and when I shall have the comfort to repose on a Bed again I cannot exactly say. I do sit in my Library again but at the hazard of my health for it stinks of pain[t] like poison.

Margaret Graves to Eliza Simcoe, April 1807, in: Bath History Volume VII - 1998; Arnold, Hillary: Genteel Widows of Bath - I - Mrs Margaret Graves and her Letters froms Bath, 1793-1807, p. 90.

Exposed to poisonous substances and being made to share closely confined quarters with eight people, likely causing the cabin to be stuffy and overheated (which is a common asthma trigger) would certainly have had an ill effect on a person whose health can be described as frail at best.

While perhaps not quite as impactful as these factors, I wonder whether the voyage itself played a part, too. To me, it seems rather interesting that Simcoe did not join the Navy to follow in the footsteps of his father and godfather, the latter of whom without question would have helped him establish a successful career as he had also done for his nephews. His decision to join the Army might be indicative of his mother and godfather, and maybe Simcoe himself, having been anxious that life aboard ship might be too strenouous for him.

On 25 September, the Earl of St. Vincent, commander of the mission, was aware of Simcoe's health now failing irreparably, and sent him home in the same vessel he had come in. Simcoe thus spent another four weeks among the paint fumes of HMS Illustrious before at last arriving in Tor Bay almost a month later.

From there, he was transported upriver to Exeter, where he was taken to the house of Archdeacon Moore. At the time, Elizabeth and their two oldest daughters Eliza and Charlotte had been in London, making purchases for the family's future move to India. They hastened to Exeter and arrived just in time to be able to say goodbye to him. Their other children, some of whom were staying with friends, could only be notified of their father's death afterwards.

I often wonder what might have been, had Simcoe decided not to go to Portugal; we know that he was quite happy and healthy when at home in Devon, and perhaps, if he had remained there, he may have lived a little longer, and not died in circumstances that came with such a tragic abrubtness that came to haunt the entire family for the next generation.

[acrossthewavesoftime]

I cannot deny that this has certain "Thugh Life" Graves vibes. I would like to believe that instead of either in a coach and on foot, that's how he travelled around Boston...

Casual day in England

[montmartre-parapluie]

Fabric ask! Cotton, eyelet, and damask. :D (Also: Hi!)

Hello! (here, have an adorable Ensign Baker smile)

Cotton: what’s your favorite time of the day?

Difficult to tell this time of year here, as it goes dark by 1pm! But, on a nice clear day, I’d say morning. Nothing like clear skies and morning sunshine to make your spirits lift of a morning!

Eyelet: what’s your favorite place?

This is an easy one - give me a fabric shop, and I’m done for the day!

Damask: ideal city to live in?

Paris. Enough museums/cathedrals/opera houses to shake a stick at, Versailles is just down the road, enough ludicrously expensive antique and fabric shops to fritter my money on… I’ll do Paris.

[acrossthewavesoftime]

"Chia" for the ask game. Wink.

Ah, thank you kindly! <3 This is one of the best insiders indeed, and you know how greatly I cherish our shared sense of humour, and the relating jokes (or am I joking? going off the number of urn pictures in my camera roll...)!

You do in fact remind me that for a long time, I haven't posted about the so-called 'gentleman' in the last picture:

The man. The myth. The weasel.

Thank you for this truly beautiful collage of genuine world heritage posts! You put a huge grin onto my face when I opened your message this morning! :)))

[greenofallshades]

@copper-haired-cuddlebug said:

Ok, so around season three is when I *really* got hooked into the show, and, like a dorky fan, I started searching the internet for spoilers. Somehow, my searching led me to the dozens of TURN fan blogs on Tumblr. I read so many of them, and loved the beautiful gifs, and laughed at the crackposts, and nodded in agreement at some of the headcanons. Although I was a just bit too timid to join in the fandom, the blogs that have stood out in my memory were @majorjohnandre; @turnlover; @turnnetwork; @rapid-apathy and @enchantedhunter for the very impressive gifs; @greenofallshades; @bluetattoolove; @nerdforturn; and @montmartre-parapluie. I actually owe appreciation to these particular bloggers, because in their own unique ways they have affected my own outlook on what it means to be in a fandom and how fans can use their talents creatively express their fan feelings…especially if it’s fanfiction on AO3. (Wink.)

I’m so glad my blog gave you enjoyment and encouraged you to join the fandom!  That’s really very kind and it means a lot to me.

All of the people you named are some of the most talented individuals I’ve ever seen.  Some of them shaped my entry into & and experience with the fandom personally so I know exactly what you’re talking about.  And there are so many more.  

Just like you, a google search led me here.  It was in S2; I was looking for Simcoe pics and the first thing I found was the “legs” gifset.  I was like, well, here’s home, lol! 

You aren’t the only one who was upset when TURN ended, lmao.  The night Simcoe got shot, I was fortified with wine and I had the tissues ready to go.  But you know what, new fans are coming--like you---and there’s no reason we can’t keep the fandom going.  I’ve said it often enough to bore people, but there are decades-old fandoms that kept going strong without Tumblr, Twitter, Netflix, etc.  So we have no excuse, we can do it.

Totally agree with you about the amazing talent of @montmartre-parapluie and her adorable Minicoe.  

So glad you’re here! 

[acrossthewavesoftime]

I would love to have John Graves Simcoe-approved designs for Valentine's Day cards. 10/10 would buy them.