#servants in art history

[resplendentoutfit]

The Maids of the Victorian Era

In the1800s and early 1900s the role of maid was relegated to women from families of modest means. It was a job that required a great deal of subjugation and a steady mood. It's presumed that some maids were subjected to the various moods of their employers, at the very least. At worse, servants were overworked and sometimes physically or sexually assaulted.

In terms of clothing, the role of maid required very little. The maid, while at work, either wore a uniform or a plain work dress. A white apron and cap were standard.

Wilhelm Amber • The Maid • 1862

The painting above shows a whimsical scene that if discovered by the employer may have resulted in a reprimand.

Except for the very rich, most households employed one servant – the "maid of all work". She was often a young girl who was taken in from the local workhouse. As the name implies, the role included all the chores of a household: cleaning, shopping, cooking, mending and washing. This grueling job paid very little due to the benefit of room and board. The maid often worked from early morning to late evening, with very little time off.

A simple black dress was often the uniform beneath the white apron. Notice in the photograph below that the two women are dressed identically.

George Lambert (Australian, 1873-1930) • The Maid • 1915 • National Gallery of Australia, Parkes

References:

Jane Austen's World: Regency Servants – Maid of All Work

My Learning: The Family at Shibden

Elizabeth Bailey's blog

[illustratus]

War by Henry Singleton

[idanit]

Dear Jeeves and Wooster fandom, lovely fic writers, my betters in bertieprose. Why are we sleeping on Lady Malcolm’s Servants Ball, held annually in London from 1923 to 1938 specifically for people in domestic service, with a reputation of drawing in queer and gender-nonconforming working-class crowd? A servants' ball where people were, for a time, "allowed" to crossdress and dance with same-sex partners? (Before it drew too much attention and got banned.)

Where are my fics about:

Jeeves moving his day off around so he can attend the ball, crossdress, and/or dance with other men?

Bertie finding out about the ball and asking questions?

Bertie sneaking into the ball pretending to be a servant and crossdressing in order to dance with other men? Perhaps he has been doing this for a few years until the year he hires Jeeves, and that year they accidentally meet at the ball. Perhaps they're both in drag, or only one of them is in drag. Perhaps only one recognises the other, or both of them do (I believe this was a costume, though not necessarily a masked ball). Perhaps Jeeves has to explain that if he has questions, they're not precisely objections, and he only worries that Bertie might be recognised and blackmailed — or perhaps Bertie has to explain that Jeeves is not in any danger of losing his job and Bertie doesn't mind him crossdressing at all. And they dance.

Bertie ordering a fancy bespoke dress for Jeeves so that he can go to the ball? ("Wealthy households would fund their workers to go, with some even loaning them evening dresses." [link 2 - though it probably means dresses for maids]) Bertie getting some jewellery for Jeeves and watching him apply make-up?

Bertie finding out that this is the best ball for servants around and telling Jeeves that he should totally go because he always has to attend the fancy parties as a butler or Bertie's valet, not there to have fun, and Jeeves agreeing because he's very insistent? Perhaps Jeeves is very secretive about the costume he's preparing even though Bertie's dying of curiosity. Perhaps once Jeeves leaves, Bertie starts having all these Very Strange Feelings, and after suffering in the flat for a few hours, he ends up going as well. And then he either can't find Jeeves until Jeeves chooses to reveal himself to him, or he finds Jeeves and almost perishes on the spot. And then, of course, they dance.

or whatever silly plot come on this is so juicy

ADDED: I wrote all this and then I discovered a great Jeeves fic that does make use of the ball, except it's not Jeeves/Wooster, but Wooster/Haddock (which is how it initially escaped my notice). If you don't mind that, go read it and enjoy the queer dancing, the crossdressing, and a delightful version of Jeeves: We Want Haddock.

[classic-art-favourites]

Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners by Alexandre Cabanel, 1887.

[royalty-nobility]

Henry Iv Surprised by the Spanish Ambassador While Playing with His Children

Artist: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (French, 1780–1867)

Title: Henry IV Receiving the Spanish Ambassador

Date: 1817

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Petit Palais, Paris, France

Description

Henry IV Receiving the Spanish Ambassador depicts Henry IV of France playing with his children whilst receiving the Spanish ambassador, with Marie de Medici seated at the centre.

[footnotelovenote]

Sketches of "Costumes of China" (1805)

Drawings by William Alexander (English, 1767-1816) [all images © The Trustees of the British Museum]

Portrait sketch of the Purveyor to Lord Macartney's Embassy; three-quarter length to front, wearing a fur (?) coat and carrying a box with handle in his left hand [Graphite, with watercolour] (ca. 1816)

'A Soldier in an undress'; wearing a long coat with big sleeves, decorated with a golden eagle in a circle on the chest, a cap on his head, long braid over his shoulder, holding a long stick in his right hand; from an album of 82 drawings of China [Watercolour, ink and graphite] (dated 28 November 1793)

'A Peasant and his Child'; a man seated on the ground grasping a small child, whose hands are on his arm but who is twisting away from him, around the waist; from an album of 82 drawings of China [Watercolour, ink and graphite] (ca.1793-97)

'Tartar soldier in his common dress'; full-length, with a flag, bow and arrows; from an album of 82 drawings of China [Watercolour, ink and graphite] (ca.1793-96)

'A labourer'; facing right and pointing ahead with his left hand; wearing a cap on his head and with jacket unfastened, revealing his bare torso, holding a pipe in his left hand and a tobacco pouch suspended from his waist; from an album of 82 drawings of China [Watercolour, ink and graphite] (ca.1793-96)

Portrait of Qiao Renjie (喬人傑) [inscribed "Chou-tazhin, a Mandarin of the civil department; in his Dress of ceremony"]; full-length, wearing a hat with a peacock feather, a string of beads around his neck and with a scroll held aloft in his left hand, standing by a large block of masonry to the left, boat on a body of water and mountain in the right far distance; from an album of 82 drawings of China [Watercolour, ink and graphite] (ca.1793-96)

More info about Qiao Renjie ("Tianjin daotai" at the time this portrait was made) and how "'the eight different classes of mandarin could be distinguished by the style and colour of the buttons on the top of their caps, which ranged from smooth red coral for the first order to engraved gilt brass for the eighth' (Legouix, 1980, p. 54)" at the BM page.

[cartoonistcoop]

In 323 BCE, Alexander the Great begins to fear.

Fearing the destruction of his pothos — his longing for life, ambition, and eternal conquest — from old age, Alexander embarks on a quest for the elusive Water of Life while accompanied by his wisest, most trustworthy Servant.

As they experience a series of countless fabulous wonders, including glass submarines, naked philosophers, Amazonians, and talking prophetic trees, Alexander confronts his complex legacy and reflects on the life and deeds that will cement his transformation into one of the most unforgettable figures in world history. READ MORE

[froggi-mushroom]

I could’ve swore I reblogged something about this but since I can’t find it, I’ll post it myself

Allegorical Painting of Two Ladies, English School, 1650s

I adore this painting, it’s one of my favourites from the 17th century overall, as it’s not only a wonderful depiction of an upper class woman of colour in western art, with her shown as an equal to her white counterpart (note the fact that they’re dressed the same and are physically on the same level) but it’s a fascinating look at pox marks and how someone with darker skin would’ve worn them, which is why I love it so much

[galleryofart]

Cleopatra's Feast

Artist: Jacob Jordaens  (Flemish, 1593–1678)

Date: 1653

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia

Description

Jordaens. Cleopatra (68-30 BC), Queen of Egypt, was famed not only for her intelligence and her beauty, but also for her extravagant behaviour. Once, seeking to amaze with her wealth her beloved, the Roman commander Mark Antony, she dissolved a large pearl in a glass of vinegar, and then drank it down to the very last. Jordaens depicted the moment when Cleopatra drops the pearl earring into the vessel, while Mark Antony, his companion and a negro servant freeze in silent amazement, experiencing a mixture of envy, regret and admiration. Only the court jester shows with the gesture of his right hand and his grotesque grin the ridiculous nature of Cleopatra's wastefulness. The allegorical composition was seen as a judgment on Pride or Vanity, and this didactic subtext was typical of the Flemish school.

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

Joseph Wright of Derby (English, 1734 - 1797) A Conversation between Girls, or Two Girls with their Black Servant, 1770

[darabeatha]

@holymost​ said ; ok listen I know they're fictional characters named/based on but every time I see an aztec god's name pop up on ur blog I'm like "??? WHY ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT AZTEC MYTHOLOGY?" and then I remember JHSDGFSJHDFHDS my hispanic ass got my ass once again I simply know nothing abt fate

/  AOAOAOOAOAOOAOO IORYTOIYUTOY IT- REALLY DO BE LIKE THAT! it’s so cool! and I can’t imagine how funny it must be to see one day greek mythology and then boom; Aztec and Maya mythology,,, and then Indian mythology and so on so forth; and to someone who isn’t too familiar with f.ate, i can imagine how funny it would be to look at someone u’ve read about in books and look at their anime version OITRUTIUORT LIKE;; what do u MEAN Achilles has bright GREEN hair?!?! it’s so silly sometimes, and it has its good and bad things, but i’ll always be grateful to f.ate for helping me discover more about history and mythology from all around the world which i love love love reading about!. But talking about my mesoamerican muses, I currently write five (5)!! 

Moctezuma II: in game they gave him a different name (Izcalli) but that’s more of a f.ate lore thing and a specific kind of situation that doesn’t really have anything to do with Moctezuma’s story so in my portrayal he is directly Moctezuma II the ninth emperor of Aztec empire or more commonly known as the last Aztec emperor (even tho after his reign there were two other more emperors but their reigns were very short so usually its default like that). He was the one who had the first official contact with the europeans amongs more but i won’t get into details because then this will get super long but yes- There are a lot of misconceptions and myths around his figure and quite frankly, not as much information about him, or well; objective information about him; f.ate wise, I got too attached to him and he shakes something in my heart;; maybe something along the lines of being misunderstood, rage, impotence, his story in overall being kind of put to the side, the strong emotional side of humans, expectations, fears and how these affect us all, etc etc. I think his character was not explored much in detail in f.ate and was a little rushed, which in exchange brough a lot of bad opinions about him and as a result, increased my curiosity over him. There’s also this thing where in fiction its often discussed the ‘negative’ traits a character has but these tend to linger on the usual ‘not too disliked’ traits, so when a certain side of a character is explored that doesn’t really match what we are used to see, it tends to create some sort of rejection towards it. In this case, i think his rage was seen as something petty and only that, which i can understand since not everyone will enjoy all characters but,, that limits his character a lot u know? There is something that hits me when a character has a big dislike ratio (like with constantine) and it made me feel more curious about him and to try to understand him further than what we were shown, which in return has made me grown more attached to him. Its me and mocte against the world frfr 😤✊ /OK JKJKJKJK! For some reason he lives rent free inside my head and by god there should be more art of him so i’m always drawing him nowadays. I could ramble about his f.ate design endlessly and talk much more about him but i’ll cut it here before i go overboard.

Tezcatlipoca: one of the central deities in Aztec religion! he is the god of darkness and night, of conflict, war; characterized by his duality as a desctructive god and creator, the enemy and the merciful of duality itself; associated with hurricanes and obsidian, jaguars. He is an omnipotent, ( the definition being: '(of a deity) having unlimited power; able to do anything’) omnipresent, (that can be present everywhere and anywhere at the same time, making him something akin to an invisible being that you can’t see but that he is there regardless) and omniscient god (that knows everything; he can see the truth in human’s hearts). He can also see through the hearts of men! he is also the brother of Quetzalcoatl in some Aztec tellings and the two of them are central to the creation myth, and there is s o much more! very facsinating god. In fate he’s a silly guy, i think in terms of personality; his character was portrayed wonderfully; the duality of Tezca truly shows and its just -chef kiss-

Tláloc-Huitzilopochtli-Tenochtitlán: now this character is kind of confusing if you are not too familiar with f.ate, and even to me it’s still kind of ??? as her spirit origin’s story is mostly tied to f.go lore, but basically, in fate she is the personification of the city of Tenochtitlán but she presents herself as Tláloc or Huitzilopochtli, as she mentions that by enshrining these two gods, Tenochtitlan (the city, aka her) thrived, and I can kind of understand the general idea they might have tried to go with as it -is- true that these two deities were incredibly important; from the side of Tláloc, he was the god of rain and was turbo mega important and venerated in mesoamerica particularly with the agricultural towns, as he had a crucial role in favoring the prosperity of harvest. He was so important that there were a lof of festivities and ceremonies held in order to receive his favors (their economy on the side of agriculture demanded for a lot of rainy days as there were long dry seasons so Tláloc was highly praised) and we still have a lot of items related to him in museums! I wish i could emphasize more how important Tláloc was but I’m gonna cut myself here and introduce Huitzilopochtli real quick;; he is the solar deity in Aztec religion and he’s tied to war and sacrifice as well (like tezca as well) he was like the patron god of the capital city of Tenochtitlan so you get the idea of just how important he was as well

Kukulkán: in fate, kukulkán also has some kind of odd story tied in that takes place in the f.ate universe, but my kuku is mostly- well; kukulkán, or known as the plumed serpent who’s origins mostly trace back to the Maya most specifically around the classic period. To some researchers, Kukulkán is the same as Quetzalcoatl which is why in f.ate, Kukulkán and Quetz are more like sisters to say; kuku being technically the eldest between the two even though she looks up to Quetz a lot. Kuku was considered a creator god and was associated with the winds and rain as it was said they brough them in the first place. a lil curious note; when the weather gets moody, clouds tend to have this sort of serpent-like shape which is from where the association comes from. Funnily enough, in f.ate she claims to be quite an airhead which im not sure if its a reference to her ties with the wind or not but if that was the case, it would be indeed a funny lil detail.

Camazotz: the Maya bat god from Popol Vuh! a god that dwells in the underworld (Xibalba) and is at the service of the lords of the underworld. Xibalba is packed with tests and trials, and if attempting to enter the underworld in the first place wasn’t already difficult, it keeps getting even more tricky! there are five houses and Camazotz rules over the house of the bats, where there is constant squeaking and shrieking. In the Popol Vuh, the hero twins must be able to spend the night in the house of bats (whose snouts are like blades that they use to attack) in order to pass the test, and they almost do it flawlessly until Hunanpu, (one of the brothers), by attempting to take a peak from the blowgun they were hiding inside of, tries to see if dawn has come, which ends up with his head getting decapitated by a bat. To this, other events pass by and he’s able to come back to life and with his brother they defeat the lords of Xibalba at the end. Popol Vuh aside, the bat as an animal had a lot of associtations such as with death, decapitation (from observing bats flying and snatching fruit from trees), night (even day! as they linger in caves but can also be seen flying in daytime across the skies), sacrifice (linked to the previously mentioned decapitation + blood), the underworld (as caves were a gateway to the underworld), etc, etc. Not to mention how important they are for agriculture as they help pollinate crops as well as help in controling over abundance of insects like mosquitoes. In any case, Camazotz is really cool and i love his design in fate!

[meri-dawn]

Young woman with a servant

[azurecoffin]

I have issues with Fate/Genshin for a multitude of reasons but man

I really enjoy the fashion I love the patterns and color palettes

Om Om good food

[teyviary-art]

2006 was a long year

[high-dragon-bait]

Pleaaaaase Zevran and Lucanis 💖

Note: I got the request for Zevran and Lucanis A LOT. So there will almost certainly be more banters between them. I'm still grasping Lucanis and am rusty with Zevran, so consider this a trial run as I feel out their hypothetical dynamic. Enjoy!

___

Lucanis: The worst crow in history standing at my side. 

Zevran: So it seems. 

Lucanis: I should kill you.

Zevran: Yes, you very much should. 

Lucanis: The crows' reputation never truly healed from your humiliation in Ferelden. 

Zevran: Humiliating for you, perhaps. That story ends very well for me. 

Lucanis: Are you really going to argue perspective while I debate your life? 

Zevran: Seeing as you haven’t killed me yet, why not? 

___

Zevran: So, how much did you cost? 

Lucanis: Three-hundred sovereigns. Starting rate. 

Zevran: My that is impressive. I was a mere seven. 

Lucanis: Your talon agreed to contracts worth only seven sovereigns!?

Zevran: Oh, it is contracts we are discussing. 

Lucanis: What else could we be discussing? 

Zevran: How much we were purchased for of course. 

Lucanis: You were… purchased?

Zevran: From a pen of brothel bastards. Where did the crows buy you?

Lucanis: House Dellamorte does not purchase our fledglings. You are born. Or you are chosen. I was born. 

Zevran: Ah. This explains so much. 

—-

Lucanis: I was not aware any crow houses still purchased recruits. 

Zevran: But, of course, it is the simplest way to find them, no?

Lucanis: No. The simplest is to scrape the gutters of Treviso. Plenty of far more willing recruits to find there. Free of charge. 

Zevran: So purchasing children is beneath you, but feeding off the desperate is not? 

Lucanis: With how many fledglings already never reach the rafters, I’d rather not waste the gold. 

—-

Zevran: What did the training of the first talon entail, Lucanis? 

Lucanis: Torture. 

Zevran: Yes, obviously, but what kind of torture did Caterina favor? 

Lucanis: Beatings. Starvations. Often combinations of both. 

Zevran: You are not good at being specific, you know that? 

Lucanis: Once, I’d been challenged to starve in a windowless stone cell for an entire moon. At the end of the third week, the servant tasked to bring me only water and a new chamber pot left the door unlocked. 

Lucanis, cont: I waited, but no one returned. I dared to venture out to where Caterina stood on the other side. She scolded me for falling into such an obvious trap and used her cane to break every bone in my arm. 

Zevran: Ah, there is the difference. My talon would have taken the whole arm. And never provided a chamber pot.

Lucanis: Fewer hands hold fewer knives. Making for a more poor assassin. 

Zevran: Another difference. It seems your grandmother lacked not only discipline but creativity. 

___

Zevran: Why did your cousin not simply kill Caterina? 

Lucanis: She is family. 

Zevran: So? 

Lucanis: The world is made only of enemies and contracts, family is all that matters. Caterina taught us that. He could not even use his own hands to kill me. He could never harm her.  

Zevran: If he cannot put aside such feelings for a contract, he is a terrible crow. 

Lucanis: Yes, he is. 

—-

Zevran: It surprises me, Lucanis, that I have never heard tales regarding the Demon of Vyrantium’s skills in the art of seduction. 

Lucanis: I do not practice that... art.

Zevran: What!? Is it not one of the greatest skills of a crow!?

Lucanis: I was taught the heart was a target. Not a toy. 

Zevran: There are many ways to strike at a target, you know.

Lucanis: But not all of them so needlessly cruel. 

Zevran: Cruel? If you know someone is on the last night of their life, you might as well help them enjoy it, no?

—-

Zevran: What is the longest you can last with your head held beneath water, Lucanis? 

Lucanis: Eight minutes if I can manage a gasp first. Six if I cannot. 

Zevran: Ah-ha! I can manage nine minutes with a breath, and seven without. 

Lucanis: With how much you like to talk. I do not believe that for a second.

Zevran: Fine. Meet me in the baths tonight, and I’ll prove it. 

Lucanis: And I’ll prove you wrong. 

Zevran: I knew you could be fun. 

—-

Zevran: So, if you have any questions regarding the techniques I showed you- 

Lucanis: Don’t. 

Zevran: -Or require another demonstration. I am happy to oblige. 

Lucanis: Stop. 

Zevran: That is not a no I hear. I’ll be waiting. Patiently. 

[partfae]

thinking about how the silmarillion starts with a creator god who loves making things so much that he sings other beings into creation just so they can make stuff with him. thinking about how his first god-son craves ownership over creation and that is his destruction. thinking about how the god-son’s second-in-command is also a creator spirit, one who loves art and craftsmanship so much that he longs to create something perfect and lasting, and breaks the world and himself in pursuit of it.

thinking about how the most important elf in history was a craftsman who built things of such beauty and splendor that even the god and his servant coveted them. thinking about how this elf was married to a sculptor who created statues so perfect they seemed alive. thinking about how their seven sons were driven to madness and doom trying to reclaim their father’s stolen creation. thinking about how one of those sons had a baby boy who became, like his grandparents, a smith. thinking about how the demi-god coveted the smith’s skills and would ultimately kill him in rage and greed.

thinking about how the hobbit follows a bloodline cursed by their greed. thinking about how the lord of the rings follows men who buckled and broke under the weight of their lust for the one ring, and how even the most good and true and noble people struggled to bear its weight well. thinking about how all the doom in the world stemmed from artistic hubris and how it is only conquered in the end by the act of unselfish love.

thinking about how the tolkien legendarium is a love letter to artists and the very act of creation, but also a cautionary tale against hoarding the riches of beauty and imagination. thinking about how love is the truest art, and how the art is meant to be shared.