Moving Forward...Gradually

Historically, the Regency period in England (1811 to 1820, when George III was King but his son, George IV, ruled England as Regent), was a time of great social upheaval, war, and political change. It was the time of Byron, Shelley, Keats, Wordsworth, Blake, Turner, and Constable; the time of Napoleon and Wellington. A time when the rich could do anything, the poor barely survived, and the coming social change of women’s rights and the fermenting of the industrial revolution were challenging the world.

It was a time when a tiny world of about 1,000 aristocrats (known as the ton) lived a glorious and lavish life of privilege ruled by power, social hierarchy. Those of the ton were held to strict rules of social deportment, etiquette, and fashion. Dressing according to one’s age and station in life were vital. Mourning, for instance, required a full year of unrelieved black for the women, then gray, then purple, then lavender, and then a woman could return to her regular colors.

However, this is a modern society, and I confess I cannot last a year in black (although I do feel deeply for those concerned about the recent loss). Therefore, this blog will attempt to move steadily forward – throwing off the black, to change from gray, to purple, then lavender – with a perfect brightness of hope for next season’s triumphant return to fame and glory.