Victorian Musings

Julia Margaret Cameron's 'Fancy subjects' is the first study of Cameron's allegorical photographs and the first to examine the intellectual connections of this imagery to British culture and politics of the 1860s and 1870s. In these photographs, Cameron depicted passages from classical mythology, the Old and New Testament, and historical and contemporary literature. She costumed her friends, domestic help, and village children in dramatic poses, turning them into goddesses and nymphs, biblical kings and medieval knights; she photographed young women in the style of the Elgin marbles, making sculpture come alive, and re-imagined scenes depicted in the poetry of Byron and Tennyson. 
Cameron chose allegory as her primary artistic device because it allowed her to use popular iconography to convey a latent or secondary meaning. In her photographs, a primary meaning is first conveyed by the title of the image; then, social and political ideas that the artist imp…

Book cover design © Kevin Marsh
Artwork by © Kevin Marsh
Artwork by © Kevin Marsh
Here we have more clues from the author, Kevin Marsh himself!  He has used his own drawings for the cover of his upcoming third book in The Torc Trilogy. I told you he was talented. Isn't this a gorgeous drawing and it makes a beautiful and fitting cover. Now, if only I knew what the story is. Come on, Kevin give us a blurb next please!  A hint of some details to the story perhaps...anything.  I truly love the cover and the title hasn't escaped me either. Hm, a reference to the second book, The Gordian Knot..."Cutting the"  now what does that mean?  Are the characters cutting ties of some sort? Is it a Celtic reference?  Are they cutting stone?  Oh, I need patience. I must wait...but it is so difficult...
 Second novel in the trilogy, currently on sale now! 
Well, I hope you are getting as excited as I am. I hope I have whetted your appetite for more!...Stay tuned!  
Don't forget t…

Engraved portrait of Charlotte Brontë by James Charles Armytage, after a chalk drawing by George Richmond, 1857.  The Morgan Library & Museum.
The very first Brontë novel I read was 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte. I was about twelve years old in grammar school searching the library room shelves when I saw a Gothic looking cover of a woman with raven hair pulled back in a bun with a black cloak tied over her shoulders covering a long white dress.  Smiling and intrigued, I reached for the small, worn, paperback.  I took it out and brought it home where I sat on my bed reading every day and night before and after school until I finished it. My mom was thrilled. To say she was a voracious reader would be an understatement. I overheard  a conversation once between herself and my grandma where my mom said something to the effect of, "I wonder when Kimberly will read books on her own without it being a school assignment?"  Well, actually 'Jamaica Inn' by Dap…

One of my favorite authors is Kevin Marsh from Whitstable, England. He is a natural born storyteller who knows how to weave beautiful Celtic stories as well as mysteries and thrillers. For now, let's focus on history, shall we!  Coming soon is the third book in The Torc Trilogy (cover reveal soon). For more information take a look at his blog and make sure to follow so you don't miss any updates, My novels and other things by Kevin Marsh
After I read his terrific thriller, The Witness I had to check out his other books, The Belgae Torc and The Gordian Knot. 

My copies, buy your own!
I just wanted to share the news that the third book in The Torc Trilogy should be revealed soon!  I have been waiting for this one since I read the first two. I wonder what the cover will look like? More Celtic symbols or maybe a painting from the author! Yes, he paints too! Check out his website, Kevin Marsh
You know how it is when you love an author's writing and novels so much, it just seem…

Anne Brontë, the youngest and most enigmatic of the Brontë sisters, remains a bestselling author nearly two centuries after her death. The brilliance of her two novels and her poetry belies the quiet, truthful girl who often lived in the shadow of her more outgoing sisters. Yet her writing was the most revolutionary of all the Brontës, pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable. This revealing new biography opens Anne’s most private life to a new audience, and includes unpublished letters from Anne to the family to which she was governess as well as first publication of a controversial image that could be the only photograph of the three Brontë sisters.
Hardcover: 288 pagesPublisher: The History Press (June 1, 2016)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0750965258ISBN-13: 978-0750965255
'Holland has enormous affection for Anne Brontë, and his excellent book is filled with passion and pathos. Its triumph is that Anne is given voice and is no longer swamped by her siblings.' - R…

The New York Public Library taken from the northeast corner of 5th Ave. and 42nd Street, 1908, New York City.Gelatin Silver Print.

The famous New York Public Library or 42nd Street Library, NYC, 2016
New York City is my home. I was born here and I will probably be buried here. When it comes to the subject of research, The New York Public Library's Berg Collection houses one of the largest and most comprehensible collections in the United States. The application process just to do research there is one of the most thorough I have ever applied for. Not only must you fill out the application listing your professional details, personal details, you need a professional reference of someone who is familiar with your research project. There is a total number of material you can request comprising, manuscripts, correspondence, maps, photographs, books, etc. After you apply, there is a waiting process then you are notified via email as to whether or not you are approved. Needless to say, I w…