Archive for November, 2011

Getting Ready for Downton Abbey

Posted by ElizabethCamden on November 28, 2011 | Comments

Did you catch Downton Abbey when it aired last year on PBS?  If not, you missed out on quite a gem, but don’t despair.  The first season will be re-airing on most PBS stations beginning in December.  Check your local listings…. It is not to be missed!

The phenomenon of Downton Abbey was unexpected, but very welcome.  It has been a smash hit in Britain, America, and Australia. The miniseries, set in a splendid country manner house in Edwardian England is smart, beautifully filmed, and full of engaging characters. The storylines are equally split between the aristocracy who live upstairs, and the servants who work to keep the vast country estate operating.  None of the characters are all good or all bad (with the possible exception of a particularly loathsome butler…..as nasty as he is good-looking.)   

Some of the appeal of the miniseries is its glimpse into a way of life that is no more.  The ball gowns, the servants, the weekend hunting parties full of aristocrats and diplomats…..but for me the appeal was in the beautifully drawn characters.  Beneath the façade of privilege and gentility these are real people who struggle with heart-breaking choices.  There is joy, beauty, and despair, all wrapped up in a beautifully filmed package.  Set your DVDs.  Clear your calendars.  Do whatever you must, but don’t miss Downton Abbey
 

Here is a sneak peek of the first season:

Have You Ever had a Disastrous Thanksgiving?

Posted by ElizabethCamden on November 21, 2011 | Comments

I will always remember my first Thanksgiving as a married woman.  As a brand new stepmother, I was determined to make the holiday special for the step-kids, which I assumed meant The Turkey Dinner.  Now, I am not much of a cook, and had never done the whole turkey-thing from scratch.  I was working full-time, plus a part-time job, which meant I was less than thrilled to take my single day off work to spend it in the kitchen…..but I was up to the challenge. 

Martha Stewart will never need to fear competition from Elizabeth Camden, but I was quite proud of that meal.  The turkey was fine, I made ALL the associated fixings from scratch, I was thrilled down to my toes at how well the gravy turned out, and the whole apartment smelled amazing.

The reaction of my family?  “We don’t really like turkey.”  It was a battle to get them to turn off the TV off (I ultimately settled for the mute button.)  As proof that men sometimes just don’t get it, my husband was the biggest offender of the group, fixing himself something from the fridge because of his indifference to turkey, then parking it in front of the football game while the rest of us were still eating.  

That was ten years ago.  It was the last turkey dinner I’ve ever made. 

The following Thanksgiving, I polled the family for their favorite meal.  BBQ came out on top.  Okay!  This is something I can do!   Aside from the meat, I buy everything else pre-made.  Bush’s Baked Beans, a vat of mashed potatoes from the local deli, frozen garlic bread that heats in the oven, and a couple of Marie Calendar pies.  It is a feast the entire family enjoys, and it is a tradition Bill and I look forward to every year.   

Oh, and I’ve given up battling Thanksgiving Day football.  Sometimes, if you can’t beat ‘em, you’ve got to join them.  

Livraria Lello

Posted by ElizabethCamden on November 17, 2011 | Comments

Today’s Splendid Library entry is actually a bookstore, but I can’t resist adding it to the list.  The architecture of this building features a love affair with carving wood.  It is impossible to miss the joyous carving, spiraling, tracery, sheer, uninhibited joy in the woodwork.  It is the Livraria Lello bookstore in Porto, Portugal.  Build in 1906, this neo-gothic bookstore sells new, used, and antiquarian books.  The pictures are courtesy of Peter Rukavina and Matthew Furtado.

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The Madame X Scandal

Posted by ElizabethCamden on November 14, 2011 | Comments

Part of the fun of reading historical novels is the opportunity to experience a different era and way of life, all from the comforts of your favorite chair.  A good historical novel not only captures the details of a particular time, but must also explore the different mindsets and attitudes of the era.

The Gilded Age was progressive in so many ways, but the notorious Madame X scandal underscores the rigidity of the era in regards to sexuality.

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was the rising star of the Gilded Age.  His splendid portraits had vaulted him to the pinnacle of the artistic world, and he was sought after by aristocrats and robber barons to be immortalized in paint.  In 1884 he was commissioned to paint Madame Gatreau, an American woman married to a Parisian banker.  A famed beauty known for her provocative wardrobe, she allowed herself to be painted in a sexually suggestive manner, with one strap of her plunging gown brazenly slipping from her shoulder.

When the portrait was unveiled at the Academie des Beaux-Arts it caused an uproar on both sides of the Atlantic, destroying Gatreau’s reputation and knocking Sargent off his exalted pedestal.  In an attempt to repair the damage, Sargent renamed the portrait Madame X and re-painted the dangling strap into its proper position, but the damage had been done.  Commissions dried up and Sargent left France for friendlier climate in London. 

Looking at the portrait today, it is hard to see what caused the uproar, but apparently the mere suggestion of sensuality was enough to ruin Sargent’s ability to earn a living in France.  David McCullough recently wrote about the scandal in his book The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris.  The scandal of Madame X is an intriguing glimpse into the attitudes of the gilded age, so different from our own.