Wow!! I just watched the new Fright Night with Colin Farrel as Jerry :)  I think Robert Pattinson should take notes from this film on how to be a bad, tough, sexy vampire. Well actually, I do think that Robert Pattinson is a sexy vampire but come on, what sort of vampire sparkles !?!?!

Victorian Christmas

For thousands of years people around the world have enjoyed midwinter festivals. With the arrival of Christianity, pagan festivals became mixed with Christmas celebrations. One of the leftovers from these pagan days is the custom of bedecking houses and churches with evergreen plants like mistletoe, holly and ivy. Apparently, as well as their magical connection in protecting us from evil spirits, they also encourage the return of spring.No era in history however, has influenced the way in which we celebrate Christmas, quite as much as the Victorians. Before Victoria's reign started in 1837 nobody in Britain had heard of Santa Claus or Christmas Crackers. No Christmas cards were sent and most people did not have holidays from work. The wealth and technologies generated by the industrial revolution of the Victorian era changed the face of Christmas forever. Charles Dickens'  book "Christmas Carol", published in 1843, actually encouraged rich Victorians to redistribute their wealth by giving money and gifts to the poor. These middle class ideals eventually spread to the not-quite-so-poor as well.  

The holidays - The wealth generated by the new factories and industries of the Victorian age allowed middle class families in England and Wales to take time off work and celebrate over two days, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Boxing Day, December 26th, earned its name as the day servants and working people opened the boxes in which they had collected gifts of money from the "rich folk". Those new fangled inventions, the railways allowed the country folk who had moved into the towns and cities in search of work to return home for a family Christmas.The Scots have always preferred to postpone the celebrations for a few days to welcome in the New Year, in the style that is Hogmanay. Christmas Day itself did not become a holiday in Scotland until many years after Victoria's reign and it has only been within the last 20-30 years that this has been extended to include Boxing Day.

The Gifts -At the start of Victoria's reign, children's toys tended to be handmade and hence expensive, generally restricting availability to those "rich folk" again. With factories however came mass production, which brought with it games, dolls, books and clockwork toys all at a more affordable price. Affordable that is to "middle class" children. In a "poor child's" Christmas stocking, which first became popular from around 1870, only an apple, orange and a few nuts could be found.Father Christmas / Santa Claus - Normally associated with the bringer of the above gifts, is Father Christmas or Santa Claus. The two are in fact two entirely separate stories. Father Christmas was originally part of an old English midwinter festival, normally dressed in green, a sign of the returning spring. The stories of St. Nicholas (Sinter Klaas in Holland) came via Dutch settlers to America in the 17th Century. From the 1870's Sinter Klass became known in Britain as Santa Claus and with him came his unique gift and toy distribution system - reindeer and sleigh.Christmas Cards - The "Penny Post" was first introduced in Britain in 1840 by Rowland Hill. The idea was simple, a penny stamp paid for the postage of a letter or card to anywhere in Britain. This simple idea paved the way for the sending of the first Christmas cards. Sir Henry Cole tested the water in 1843 by printing a thousand cards for sale in his art shop in London at one shilling each. The popularity of sending cards was helped along when in 1870 a halfpenny postage rate was introduced as a result of the efficiencies brought about by those new fangled railways.

Turkey Time - Turkeys had been brought to Britain from America hundreds of years before Victorian times. When Victoria first came to the throne however, both chicken and turkey were too expensive for most people to enjoy. In northern England roast beef was the traditional fayre for Christmas dinner while in London and the south, goose was favourite. Many poor people made do with rabbit. On the other hand, the Christmas Day menu for Queen Victoria and family in 1840 included both beef and of course a royal roast swan or two. By the end of the century most people feasted on turkey for their Christmas dinner. The great journey to London started for the turkey sometime in October. Feet clad in fashionable but hard wearing leather the unsuspecting birds would have set out on the 80-mile hike from the Norfolk farms. Arriving obviously a little tired and on the scrawny side they must have thought London hospitality unbeatable as they feasted and fattened on the last few weeks before Christmas!



The Tree - Queen Victoria's German husband Prince Albert helped to make the Christmas tree as popular in Britain as they where in his native Germany, when he brought one to Windsor Castle in the 1840's.

The Crackers - Invented by Tom Smith, a London sweet maker in 1846. The original idea was to wrap his sweets in a twist of fancy coloured paper, but this developed and sold much better when he added love notes (motto's), paper hats, small toys and made them bang.  Carol Singers - Carol Singers and Musicians "The Waits" visited houses singing and playing the new popular carols;


1843 - O Come all ye Faithful1848 - Once in Royal David's City1851 - See Amid the Winters Snow1868 - O Little Town of Bethlehem1883 - Away in a Manger

hahahahaha! Hilarious XD

 The first four pictures are drawings I did two or three years ago, looking at them I feel that my drawing skills have really developed, well I certainly hope so:D

 The following drawings were done in the past year and are in my private drawing books

I haven't actually finished this drawing because I just cant get her eyes right :(

I know that this horses legs are too short but bearing in mind it was my first horse drawing I'm quite happy with it.  

Victorian Tales

• Whether this story is true or not is entirely open for debate. But painter John Ruskin apparently needed some inspiration for his painting Snow Storm - a Steamboat off of the Harbour's Mouth which was exhibited in 1842. So much inspiration, in fact, that he claimed to friends that he had literally been tied to the mast of a ship so that he could experience the full drama of being caught up in the middle of a fierce snowstorm. Ruskin said that he didn't expect to survive, but he was certainly able to concentrate hard enough during the storm to conjure up the perfect evocation of what it felt like being tied up at sea after the supposed incident occurred.

• While Madam Marie Tussaud was in Paris, she became involved in the French Revolution. She met many important people during this time such as Napoleon and Robespierre. Despite these friendships, she was still on good terms with the French royalty. For 9 years and up until the French Revolution, Madam Tussaud taught art to the sister of King Louis XVI. The French royalty liked Madam Tussaud so much that she even lived at Versailles for awhile.   Madam Tussaud was arrested on the grounds of having royalist sympathies. She was sent to prison and awaited execution by guillotine along with Josephine de Beauharnais. Tussaud's head was shaven as was normally the case before executions. She was however saved for her talents in wax works and was spared so that she could make death masks of victims of the guillotine, many of whom were her friends. She made death masks of Marie Antoinette and Robespierre, amongst others.  

• Victorian eccentric, Dr William Buckland, gained notoriety for his love of eating strange things. The dishes he digested included: elephants' trunks, bat's urine and the mummified heart of King Louis XIV! 

• The second Baron Rothschild also shared Buckland's taste for the eccentric and had a carriage drawn by four zebras, snakes twined round the banisters and had a dinner party with 12 dressed monkeys.    

• World famous Victorian stuntman Bobby Leach survived Niagara Falls, but died after slipping on an orange peel.

Queen Victoria

Victoria was born in 1819. She became Queen in 1837 when she was 18. Her reign lasted for more than 60 years. Queen Victoria was born early in the 19th century. She lived to see the start of the 20th century, dying in January 1901.  She was officially Princess Alexandrina Victoria, though, and upon her ascent to the throne on June 20, 1837, at age 18 -- escaping the necessity of a regency by mere weeks -- the papers drawn up to declare her sovereignty listed her as Alexandrina Victoria. One of her first official acts as queen was to have the papers changed and for the next six decades would reign simply as Victoria.  

One of Victoria's great passions was for art. She was an accomplished artist herself, having taken drawing lessons from poet-illustrator Edward Lear, and some of her sketches recently went on display after having been sealed for 150 years.   In terms of art created by others, she had a distinct affinity for nudes, many of which she gave to Albert as gifts to celebrate some special occasion or another. He sometimes reciprocated by giving her nude or semi-nude works as well.  

Queen Victoria survived at least seven attempts on her life, mostly when she was riding in open carriages.  Some of these attempts seem almost comical in retrospect, such as the time a midget named John William Bean came at her with a gun that was discovered to be stuffed more with tobacco than with gunpowder. Another time would-be attacker William Hamilton apparently forgot to load his pistol before trying to dispose of the Queen.

There were other attempts, however, which were much more serious. Shortly after she and Albert were married, when she was three months pregnant with her daughter Vicki, a man by the name of Edward Oxford fired two shots at her carriage. Fortunately Albert was with her at the time and was able to get her out of harm's way. Two years later a man named John Francis also came at her on one of her carriage rides. In 1872 a man named Arthur O'Connor tried to attack her carriage at the very gates of Buckingham Palace before he was subdued, and ten years after that a man by the name of Roderick Maclean managed to fire off a shot before before some bystanders brought him down.

The only time an attacker ever managed to inflict bodily harm on the Queen was in 1850, when Robert Pate came at her with a brass-tipped walking stick and struck her on the head with it. The Queen, naturally, was quite startled and the assault was severe enough to bruise her face and give her a black eye. Nevertheless, she went about her duties and even appeared at the theater shortly afterward, to thunderous cheers!  

Victoria often like to have the windows open , even in the winter and liked to have ice on the dinner table, to keep the room cool.  When she died, Queen Victoria had 37 great-grandchildren.  

A gentleman is simply a patient wolf - Lana Turner

Whilst on the topic of Top Hats, here is some Top Hat Trivia:D

• One of the Smithsonian Institution's most treasured icons is Abraham Lincoln’s silk stove pipe top hat, worn to Ford's Theatre on the night of his assassination in 1865.  As a lawyer, he was known to tuck important papers, court notes, and contracts in his tall, worn top hat.  
  
  
• Louis Comte, a French magician in 1814, was the first to use the top hat to conjure up a white rabbit. 

• President Richard M. Nixon was the last President to be inaugurated wearing a top hat, and a hat of any kind.
  
  
• A grey topper is still worn in England for Ascot Week at the horse track.
  
  
• J.P. Morgan ordered his limousine in the early 1900s with an especially high roof so he could ride around without taking his hat off.
  
  
• The nick name “high hat” designated arrogance and snobbishness.
  
  
• Fred Astaire made over a dozen movies wearing a top hat, notably the 1935 “Top Hat” with Ginger Rogers.
  
  
• For refined, self-assurance, men would wear top hats tilted at a 10 degree angle, no more, no less. 

• Rock star, Alice Cooper was known for his signature top hat in My Nightmare phase.

• Harpo Marx wouldn’t be seen without his top hat.

History of the Top hat

There has never been a more sophisticated and dominating hat in fashion than the top hat.  When the first top hat was worn by the haberdasher John Hetherington in 1797, it caused a near riot.  According to a newspaper account, “passersby panicked at the sight.  Several women fainted, children screamed, dogs yelped, and an errand boy’s arm was broken when he was trampled by the mob.”  So Hetherington was taken to court for wearing “a tall structure having a shining luster calculated to frighten timid people.”   

What Hetherington designed was a modified riding hat of the day, widening the brim and lengthening the top area.  In 1823, Antoine Gibus came along and modified it even more to a collapsible opera hat; which made traveling with it much easier and during the opera could be stored flat, under the seat.  It was not until 1850 that the top hat really took off when Prince Albert starting wearing it in public and it became the fashion rage.  The Victorian top hat was really making a statement, not merely being worn as part of a costume.  Gentlemen were simply saying they were important and classy.  Felted beaver skin was the preferred material for top hats because of its water proof properties.  Because of the high demand for beaver fashion (men’s coats were also popular), the Victorian top hat practically wiped out the beaver in America by 1900. 

By 1900 the top hat was made with silk and worn only for special occasions, such as weddings and dances, as we commonly see it worn today.   However, there was a great top hats resurgence in the 1930s when Fred Astaire, Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich and others, brought it back in favor with motion pictures.  Every affluent American had a top hat and black tie and tail.   Even the French and English rallied to wearing top hats again, after watching Astaire’s movies.  By 1900 the top hat was made with silk and worn only for special occasions, such as weddings and dances, as we commonly see it worn today.   However, there was a great top hats resurgence in the 1930s when Fred Astaire, Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich and others, brought it back in favor with motion pictures.   Every affluent American had a top hat and black tie and tail.  Even the French and English rallied to wearing top hats again, after watching Astaire’s movies.  

From 1850 to 1900, men wore top hats for business, pleasure and formal occasions—pearl gray for daytime, black for day or night—making its wearer feel taller, handsomer and suave.  If men did not don a top hat you can bet they had some style of hat on—it was a demanded fashion.   Men, rich or poor, would not be caught dead without a hat on.  Even into the 1960s, men still wore hats for every outdoor excursion, just as women did.  

I think that more people should live their lives by these rules, everybody would be so nice :D

I noticed I hadn't posted anything "vintage" for a while so I decided to post this. My favorite outfit has to be the far right one, I think it is the closest one to the Victorian era, so naturally I like it. Which one is your favorite?

I'm so glad my family is weird!  My auntie has given me four more ideas for surreal art work, I don't know how she comes up with them but I'm so glad that she does. I dont know what I would do if my auntie was normal, haha:D

I love Tarkan's eyes their so beautiful:)

 I found brilliant inspiration for my surrealism work from Jeffrey Harp. He creates surreal images using Photoshop and  antique Victorian photographs.  I think some of them are quite creepy, but  that's what he aims for. What do you think about them?

My Turkish Step-dad played me some of his music years ago. At the time I didn't like it but, I recently stumbled on the one that I did enjoy. It brought back so many memories for me. x  It is a bit cheesy at the beginning and there is some very girly dancing but I still love it!

Hahahaha "Get back to your cleaning" I always watch Horrible Histories it's so funny:D

Love this songx Obsessed with Maroon 5 at the moment!

https://www.dibor.co.uk/default.asp  This is a  beautiful vintage rose clock x Dibor have a wonderful Christmas collection, have a look:D

New Wave Victorian

When I saw the title New Wave Victorian on Spotted Sparrow I was quite confuse as to what it was, but it describes Victorian style drawings with a modern twist on them. The New Wave Victorian prints are really stylish and some quite funny, I was torn between which one to buy but I had made my mind up that I was going to get one.  This is the one I decided to buy x  Not only are these art prints and stationary attractive but they are also environmental and for a good price!  http://www.spottedsparrow.com/

A few months ago, one of my closest friends went to a cosplay convention with her boyfriend.  She was dressed up as Juiliet from Taylor Swift's song Love Story and her boyfriend as Romeo. She made her own mask and fan, bought the wig and hired the beautiful dress.  

 My friend wearing her wig and mask x

 This hand made fan is only one of the many items she has created :)

This mask is so lovely and sparkly x

 My friend is a photogropher and a very good one aswell! here are a few of the photos she took of her cosplay

And for those of you who haven't heard Taylor Swift's Love Story...

Tyson Ritter the lead singer of The All American Rejects, he has amazing hair, I wish all men had hair this nice:D

I created my own regency man from this brilliant Jane Austen inspired dress up doll: http://savivi.deviantart.com/art/Regency-Hero-Dress-Up-Doll-101669291 I call him Vincent lol :D

:http://www.house-of-franchekca.co.uk/vintageads.htm
This website is just full of vintage advertisements, this is my favorite one from here :)  Lorraine, the owner of the website, has an online shopping catalogue which will be ready soon on her other website:  http://house-of-francheska.com/   x

This is some of my surreal artwork from my art book:D

 You cant see very well from this photo but the pilot has camouflage skin.

 Inside the eye is a single chair underneath a light bulb, a bit like a torture room mwahahahah:D

 I am doing this as my final piece except the rose is going to be tied around her head by a thorny vine which will also wrap around her body.

 The woman's face I got from an Aussie shampoo advert in a magazine and the man is from a band called Mushroomhead

I started out drawing a Victorian man in formal wear but then realizing it wasn't surreal I drew a seagulls head and octopus tentacles on him. x

I find it funny that in the Victorian era as girls grew older their skirt lengths got longer.  But nowadays, as girls get older their skirt lengths get shorter lol:)

I absolutely love this song and Adam Levine, who will have a section on my dreamy men page tee hee hee x

Barry Copson from the Handlebar Club, his moustache is vintage and wonderful so I had to post it :D
http://www.handlebarclub.co.uk/ukmembersgallery.php

These are brilliant Steampunk outfits, I love the colours and detail, though if it was my outfit think I would mix and match a few of the accessories   

Surrealism

Getting so fed up with Surrealism.  For a start I cant think of any new ideas, aaarrrrgghh! Secondly, I love Victorian style prints and I like using them in my work but its so upsetting having to destroy them by drawing ocotpus tentacles on their head :D

Wow this male model from the M&S Christmas advert is georgous!
Just a sample of things to come x

First Post!!!

Woo my first post , funny its quite scary when there's nothing else there. Hopefully I will have plenty to post and talk about :D