Caroline Burnett - Oil on Canvas - Signed - Depicting a Parisian scene

Caroline Burnett 

(Or perhaps even Carolyn)

Although a recent painting, probably dating to 1950/60, it is somewhat intriguing in regards to rumours surrounding the artist. 

One very keen individual has taken the time to do some research on the artist, you can find the full write up here:

Some excerpts from aforementioned website:

****

"Forenames for this artist have been surmised. The most popular of these have been Caroline, Carolyn, Will, Charles, Jan and Mileu.  Suggested dates of the paintings of this artist have varied from 1940’s to 1990’s. People have ruminated on the fact some paintings seem the same, but each are painted only a few metres away from the last painting, so the scene extends on in each representation.

One rumour has it that the paintings were churned out in a sweat shop in Mexico and were named such because the owner said that if people found out who painted them they will burn it, thus the name ‘Burnett’. Another says the assembly line was in China. Others say struggling artists copied the paintings and signatures, or that new and struggling artists go to Paris, paint the scenes with the Burnett signature, and then sell them on.

The truth? It was in fact the artist Caroline Burnett who has survived the myths to become the legend. An American artist, listed in the Who’s Who of American Art, she lived and painted in Paris. Her medium was oil and she always signed BURNETT at the bottom right of her paintings. She painted in the third quarter of the nineteenth century, inspired by the scenes surrounding her. Her Moulin Rouge painting was bought in 1971 at $1000, but her paintings have been bought and sold worldwide for pennies to fortunes."

****

Whichever the case may be, it is a beautiful painting, in very charming pastel colours. I would guess that it may have been created in the 1950s, judging by the outfits of the pedestrians. 

The painting is available in our online store.

The Poems of Thomas Gray - Engravings from the desing of R. Westall - 1826 (engravings mostly 1821)

The 

Poems

of 

Thomas Gray,


Embellished with engravings.
From the designs of

Rich.d Westall R.A.

******

                                                                Thomas Gray 1716 - 1771

"Thomas Gray is generally considered the second most important poet of the eighteenth century (following Alexander Pope) and the most disappointing. 

It was generally assumed by friends and readers that he was the most talented poet of his generation, but the relatively small and even reluctantly published body of his works has left generations of scholars puzzling over the reasons for his limited production and meditating on the general reclusiveness and timidity that characterized his life.

Gray's poetry is concerned with the rejection of sexual desire. The figure of the poet in his poems is often a lonely, alienated, and marginal one, and various muses or surrogate-mother figures are invoked

The typical "plot" of the four longer poems of 1742 has to do with engaging some figure of desire to repudiate it, as in the "Ode on the Spring," or, as in the Eton College ode, to lament lost innocence."

For more information on the individual poems visit the Poetry Foundation

****

The book is embellished with engravings after the desing of Richard Westall (1765–1836), an English painter and illustrator.

****

The title-page

R.Westall R.A.del.                                            W.Finden Sc.

"Be thine Despair, and sceptred Care;

To triump, and to die, are mine."

The Bard.

London:

Printed for John Sharpe, Piccadilly.

1821 

2nd title-page

 London: 

Printed for John Sharpe,

And Other Proprietors;

By C. and C. Whittingham, Chiswick.

1826

This book is available in our online store.

Mrs Beeton: The Book of Household Management - New Edition, 1869

"Mrs Isabella Mary Beeton (1836 - 1865)

She was universally known as Mrs Beeton, was the English author of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, and is commonly known as one of the first and best cookery writers, with her Book of Household Management first published in 1861.

Isabella was born at 24 Milk Street, Cheapside, London, England. Isabella was sent to school in Heidelberg, Germany, for two years where she became an accomplished pianist and afterwards returned to Epsom. With her four step-siblings, she had 20 siblings, a huge family even for the Victorian times. Being the oldest, this is where she honed her abilities in babysitting and general household management, which gave her the experience and confidence to write her famous book.

The day after the birth of her fourth child, in January 1865, Isabella caught puerperal fever. She died a week later, aged 28."

If you are a fan or are studying the Victorian life-style, this book is a must have!  

It is filled with amazingly detailed recipes, advise on food storage, household management, instructions for the Maids and Valet, including legal advice, how to entertain, menu plans adjusted according to amount of guests, etc., etc.,

*** Text on Title Page***

The Book

of 

Household  Management;

Comprising information for the 

- Mistress.
- Housekeeper.
- Cook.
- Kitchen-Maid.
- Butler.
- Footman.
- Coachman.
- Valet.
- Upper and Under Housemaids.
- Lady's-Maid.
- Maid-of-All-Work.
- Laundry-Maid.
- Nurse and Nurse-Maid.
- Monthly, Wet, and Sick Nurses,
Etc., etc.,

Also Sanitary, Medical and Legal Memoranda.

With a History of the Origin, Properties, and Uses of All Things connected with Home Life and Comfort.

By Mrs. Isabella Beeton.

Entirely New Edition, Revised and Corrected,

With new coloured engravings.

Two hundred and fifty-third thousand

London:

WARD, LOCK, AND TYLER,

Warwick House, Paternoster Row.

*** End of Title-page***

NOTE TO THE NEW EDITION.

In this New Edition, I have strive, with feminine aid of the most valuable kind, to make a few improvements upon the original model of this work, and I have infused some new and modern information which, seven years ago, did not exist. The arrangement of the first edition was so well conceived that it admiteed of scarcely any reform; practical, that only the slightest alterations and corrections were needed, except such as Time had rendered necessary.

                                                                                                                                            S.O.Beeton.*

Warwick House, Paternoster Row, 1869

*****

*S.O.Beeton:

Isabella's husband, Samuel Orchart Beeton. He was a publisher and he was the publisher of her book.

****

Click on any of the images for full size photograph of the book.

A great piece of history and account of Victorian Life! 

1139 Pages

Available in our online shop.