Step right up to the Entangled Summer Carnival Photo Booth!
Who doesn’t wish they could step back in time and dress up in some of those
fantastic fashions? Our Scandalous and Select Historical authors are talking
about which historical figures they would dress up as for our historical photo
booth. Let us know who you would want to
dress up as and snap a photo of yourself for your photo album.
I have a passion
for collecting stories of eccentric women throughout history who dared to step
outside the dictates of society. If I were to dress like any of these women, I
would choose the most willful one of the bunch. Daughter of an earl, Lady
Hester Stanhope (12 March 1776—23 June 1839) was niece to William Pitt the
Younger. She acted as his secretary while he was prime minister of England. The
government knew that Lady Hester Stanhope was the brains behind Pitt, so upon
his death, she was awarded a lifetime pension, which she promptly used to
pursue an outrageous life in the Middle East. Off she went by sea, only to have
her ship crash on the rocks in Rhodes. She lost everything but the clothes on
her back, and had to borrow from the Turks. That's when she discarded tight
corsets and heavy layers of fabric and took on their manner of dress—the men’s
dress, that is. Thereafter, Lady Hester never wore anything but robes, turbans,
and slippers while she tramped about in the desert, slept in the tents of
Bedouin sheikhs, traipsed through Turkish palaces, and learned to smoke a water
pipe. Oh, and for a while, she took a British lover twelve years her junior. I
simply had to weave unconventional Lady Hester Stanhope into my series Those
Magnificent Malverns, so I created an eccentric grandmother who’d been Lady
Hester’s accomplice on those scandalous desert journeys.
If I could dress up as a historical figure, I’d pick Lady
Jersey of the Regency period. She’s perfect for me because I write Regency
period historical romances. Lady Jersey was one of the patronesses of Almack’s,
the exclusive club where young ladies hoped to find a desirable marriage match.
Gaining a voucher to Almack’s was like a Quest for the Holy Grail. Only the
patronesses—a select group of ladies—decided who could cross the club’s
threshold. For a night at Almack’s, I’d love to dress as Lady Jersey in an
exquisite ball gown. My dream gown would be cerulean blue crepe with short
sleeves over a slip of white satin. The bodice would be cut low and adorned
with silver beading, and the hem would be delicately embroidered with silver
flowers. My hair would be in the Grecian style with soft curls around my face
and the back pulled into a chignon and decorated with a simple wreath of white
flowers. A diamond necklace, diamond drop earrings, two diamond bracelets, long
white gloves, and white satin slippers would complete the outfit. Who wouldn’t
feel beautiful wearing this for a night out?
I would dress as Anne Bonny, a pirate in the 1700s. She
disguised herself as a man and sailed the seas with her lover, Jack Rackham.
Anne was a strong woman who fought alongside her brethren as an equal. She was
tough and demanded respect—although she dressed as a man, many knew she was a
woman. You could almost say she was a pioneer in feminism before the word
actually existed. What a woman!
If I could dress up as any famous historical figure it would
have to be Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. I’ve always found this
woman fascinating, and strong of character, and the fact she’s related to
Diana, Princess of Wales is just another boon against her name. For a woman who
married at just 17, she became one of the most famous, and at time scandalous
figures of the Georgian period. She partook in political speeches, was a
leading fashion icon (which many tried to emulate) and gambled away what we
would consider small fortunes. She fell in love with a future prime minster of
England and had love affairs. Who’d not want to dress up as the Duchess of
Devonshire, if only for a day.
Though Catherine the Great is often remembered for her
scandalous personal life, her accomplishments as the Empress of Russia were
remarkable, which is why I choose to dress up as her. Well, that and the amazing
gowns and jewels she owned. Catherine wasn’t a native of Russian, but just six
months after marrying the Emperor, with the help of her loyal guard, she was
able to oust her husband and become the empress. During her rule, she triumphed
over several uprisings, greatly expanded Russia’s territory, and was an enlightened
ruler who wrote several books, was a champion of the arts, and was responsible
for amassing much of the treasures that are housed in the Hermitage Museum. Oh,
and just in case you were wondering, the rumors about her engaging in
inappropriate activities with a horse are not true.
