#pre-1900

[waurenbeatty]

Cabinets of Curiosities

Res Obscura: This is mostly pictures of things found in cabinets of curiosities with a bit of information on the cabinets themselves.

Franckshe Stiftungen zu Halle: This is actually a museum of some sort that does research on cabinets of curiosities. It's a good place to start to learn about them.

Cabinet Exhibition: Again, this is more information on the cabinets themselves and what was kept in them (no pictures).

This links to an art installation by a museum that recreated a cabinet/room of curiosities.

[waurenbeatty]

BibliOdyssey

Here is a link to BibliOdyssey's posting on Da Aquitilibus. It's mostly a posting of some very interesting sketches from the 16th century. I like the illustration below because the fish looks like he's got some human genes mixed up in his DNA.

[waurenbeatty]

17th century playing cards

Here is an image of some 17th century playing cards from the British Museum.

This links to another picture of 17th century playing cards from a less reputable source.

[waurenbeatty]

Tobacco in the 17th century

https://www.lib.umn.edu/bell/tradeproducts/tobacco

[waurenbeatty]

Demode is a website run by a costume designer. She does a number 17th and 18th century pieces and this link goes to a page on hairstyles and cosmetics.

This link goes to a post on portraits of women painters in the 18th century.

Here is a self portait of Maria Anna Angelica Katharina Kauffman (Swiss-Austrian Neoclassical artist, 1741-1807) looking pastoral and witty.

[waurenbeatty]

Hot Chocolate a la 18th C

“Chocolate preserves health and prolongs the lives of old men.” -D. de Quelus, The Natural History of Chocolate, Paris 1719-

This is Zak King’s recipe for 18th century French hot chocolate.

Ingredients:

9 ounces of unsweetened chocolate

1/3 cup of sugar (can adjust to taste)

¼ cup (or 2 ounces) of heavy cream

4 ¼ cups of hot water

To make:

Melt chocolate in double boiler

Add ¼ cup of hot water and stir continuously

Add the remaining 4 cups of hot water and bring to a gentle boil

Remove the mixture from the heat

Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.

Stir in cream

This makes very rich hot chocolate. In the 18th century chocolate houses, hot chocolate was served so thick and rich that it needed to be served with glasses of chilled water to balance the richness. It was also an "adult" drink and children were not allowed to have it.

Look how pleased everyone in this painting is to be drinking hot chocolate:

[waurenbeatty]

Fashion & Culture in the 18th Century

This is a link to a blog on 18th century fashion and culture. It is not updated any longer but is a good resource for 18th century paintings.

Below is Jonh Wilkes and his daughter in 1779.

[waurenbeatty]

Marie Antoinette's Gossip Guide to the 18th Century

This links to Marie Antoinette;s Gossip Guide to the 18th century. Obivously Marie Antoinette did not write it herself, it is just speculation.

Below is an example of one of Marie Antoinette's outrageously elaborate hair-dos. Coiffure de l'indépendance ou Le triomphe de la liberté from the Franco-American Museum at the Chateau de Blérancourt.