Blog Exclusive: Loos of London

In the course of visiting museums and historic sites during my stay in London last summer, I visited, as you’d expect, quite a few ladies’ rooms. I’m not sure what set me off. Maybe the first one or first few were so pleasing aesthetically. At any rate, I started photographing them. Not all. In some, the space was too tight. In others, there were other occupants, and I did not want anybody emerging from a stall to find my camera pointed at her. And once or twice I forgot my camera. Still, a good representation remains.

 

 

What's a Pomatum?

January 1831 Magazine of the Beau Monde

In A Duke in Shining Armor (and in other of my books),  the term pomatum appears. If the context leads you to believe that this has something to do with styling hair,  you’ll be right.

A pomatum,  based on a grease of some kind (usually lard), was used to style hair and to keep it smoothly in place, like today’s gels, mousses, hair waxes, and sprays.

March 1831 Magazine of the Beau Monde

Some recipes call for bear grease, but it appears that other forms of grease or fat usually masqueraded as bear grease (luckily for the bears). The initial reaction of the modern mind to putting lard and/or suet in the hair is ick. But re-enactors don’t seem to find it icky, and some have become converts to the 18th and 19th century ways of caring for the hair.

May 1831 Magazine of the Beau Monde

Parisian Pomatum was one formula I came across again and again, in all kinds of books and magazines. Very often, I saw the exact same recipe in several different publications, a reminder that copyright was not protected, and publications stole freely from one another. I'm listing several recipes here, to show both variations and the extent of "borrowing."

A New Supplement to the Pharmacopoeias of London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Paris: Forming a Complete Dispensatory and Conspectus; Including the New French Medicines and Poisons (1833).  Recipe here.

The Art of Preserving the Hair (1825).  Recipe here.

The Art of Beauty (1825). Recipe here.
The Duties of a Lady's Maid (1825).  Recipe here.

Finally, in the London Magazine (1826) you’ll find this lovely rant about the advice offered in The Duties of a Lady's Maid.

If you'd like details about how milady’s maid arranged the complicated styles of the 1820s and 1830s, you may peruse my Two Nerdy History Girls blog post on the subject.

Susan, the other Nerdy History Girl, offered this post on one of the fashionable hair accessories.

Portions of this post appeared previously at Two Nerdy History Girls, but the images did not. The images are hair styles from 1830s ladies' magazines online. Gallery first row, left to right: all from May 1833 Magazine of the Beau Monde; second row left to right: June 1833 Magazine of the Beau Monde, June 1833 World of Fashion (courtesy Los Angeles Public Library, Casey Fashion Plates collection), August 1833 Magazine of the Beau Monde. 

 

 

A Duke in Shining Armor Book Tour, Actual & Virtual

Me in London in June, happily making a point of some kind at the Geffrye Museum.

As we approach the release day of A Duke in Shining Armor, you can expect to see the pace of my blog posts pick up. Among other things, I plan to offer my loyal blog subscribers exclusive material as well as some first-look (ahead of my other social media) related to this first book in my Difficult Dukes series.

Also, you’ll find me popping up in various places online in November:

At USA Today’s Happy Ever After, Cathy Maxwell and I will have a conversation about the role of strong spirits in the Regency era and the part it’s played in our recent stories.

Heroes and Heartbreakers will publish an excerpt from A Duke in Shining Armor.

RT Book Reviews will publish my short article about real 1800s dukes vs. the ones we historical romance authors create, and RT VIP Salon will include an interview.

In the first two weeks of the book’s release I’ll appear in actual person, with other actual authors. We’ll be talking about romance in general as well as our books in particular, and we’re expecting audience participation.

Loretta Chase & Caroline Linden: A Conversation
7 PM Wednesday 29 November 2017
Bacon Free Library
58 Eliot Street
Natick MA 01760
508-653-6730

Once again I’ll join author Caroline Linden to talk about writing and reading and whatever else participants suggest. If you’ve never attended one of Caroline’s book events before, you’ve missed out. She’s funny and smart, and she gets everybody talking. You can register here (please scroll down for the registration form).

30 November 2017 Savoy Booksore & Cafe


Romance Event with authors Sarah MacLean, Maya Rodale, and Megan Frampton
7-8pm Thursday 30 November 2017
Savoy Bookstore and Café
10 Canal Street
Westerly RI 02891
401-213-3901

6 December 2017 Strand Bookstore

Romance & Respect
—with Joanna Shupe, Tessa Bailey, Megan Frampton, Tracey Livesay
7-8pm Wednesday 6 December 2017
Strand Bookstore
828 Broadway (& 12th Street)
New York NY 10003
212-473-1452