Goal for the Day: Just Get it Over With

As I’ve often pointed out, we have much to learn from the wisdom of dogs. This morning, I learned another lesson from Bertie. We’re in the midst of some nasty thunderstorms this morning. Unfortunately for Bertie, he still needs to go outside to do the things that dogs do outside. He was not thrilled by the cracking thunder and driving rain. When we went out on the back porch, he sat down on the bench and looked at me with wide eyes which said instantly, “Why did you let this happen?”


My response was, “I’m sorry, but you’ve got to do your business.” With a brief tail wag, Bertie jumped from the bench and scurried down the back stairs, took care of business and ran back up. He was quite thrilled with himself when he was finished and did a little dance before we went back inside.

How many times throughout the day do we have to do things that we just don’t want to do—things that we know will be uncomfortable? Unlike dogs, we have the abilit to procrastinate. And, by doing so, all we do is prolong our agony. We could all take a page from Bertie’s book. Simply charge into a situation, no matter how wet and gloomy it might be and get the job done. Afterwards, run back home and celebrate your triumph. By simply getting the unpleasantness over with, we allow ourselves much more time to enjoy the rest of the day.

Object of the Day: A Glittering Bristol Glass Vase

We’ve talked about several Bristol glass pieces here at Stalking the Belle Époque. My fondness for the medium is evident and I’ve collected many examples over the years. Bristol glass allowed designers to have a newfound freedom with the shapes of their objects and afforded households with an opportunity to display unusual art glass that they previously had no access to.


This Bristol glass vase dates to about 1870 and represents a favorite shape of vase with a delicate base and scalloped top. What sets this piece apart is the hand-painted design. On one hand, the pattern is quite typical—an organic scene of flowers contrasted against the milky-white background. However, the design has been elevated by the inclusion of pearlescent paint and raised gilding which gives the pattern a sparkle and dimension not evident in other examples from the time period. Even on a shelf in a rather dark corner of the room, this vase always catches the light and glitters brilliantly. Our Victorian forebears were very interested in making the most of low-light conditions and allowing natural colors and forms to show through. Pieces such as this one show their triumph over the dark.

Sculpture of the Day: A Bust of Thomas Jefferson, 1789

Thomas Jefferson
Jean-Antoine Houdon
1789
The National Gallery of Art
Washington, D.C.

Since we’re talking about Thomas Jefferson today in a sort of post-President’s-Day salute, let’s take a look at this exceptional marble bust of Jefferson by French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon.


Houdon was considered the “Sculptor of the Enlightenment” and espoused Neoclassical ideals in his crisp, attractive work. This bust of Jefferson was created in 1789 while Jefferson was still Minister to France. Today, the bust is housed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Precious Time: Thomas Jefferson’s Astronomical Clock, 1812

Astronomical
Clock
1812
Thomas Voight
Mahogany, Walnut
Monticello

The third President of the United States was a scientific kind of guy and liked to be as precise about everything as possible—this included the time of day. He didn’t feel that everyone needed to be as precise as he was. For example, the clock on the outside of Monticello only has an hour hand because Jefferson didn’t think that the field workers needed to know the minutes, but that’s another issue.


Jefferson always wanted an Astronomical Clock—like King George III, darn it! In fact, he even commissioned a young clockmaker, David Rittenhouse (no relation to Ulrika) to make one for him. But, there was a little historical hiccup which prevented the swift completion of the clock—that pesky Revolutionary War.

It wasn’t until 1812 that Jefferson finally got his Astronomical Clock. This tall-case mahogany and walnut clock by Thomas Voight told the time, the lunar phase and the day of the week. It was purposely made without a striking mechanism so that it could be used in Jefferson’s bedroom without distrubing his sleep. It’s pretty, but not too exceptional. However, it seemed to please the President a great deal.

Unusual Artifacts: Thomas Jefferson’s “Wheel Cipher”

"Wheel Cipher"
Thomas Jefferson
1790
(Reproduction from original design)

Aside from being the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and the Third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson was a rather clever fellow who enjoyed tinkering with things and coming up with his own little inventions. While working as George Washington’s secretary, Jefferson devised a tool which could be employed to encode and decode secret messages.


When compared to our spy technology of the present, the “wheel cipher” looks like something one would get in a box of cereal (perhaps, “Frosted Colonial O’s”), but is nonetheless rather brilliant for its time. The cipher was ostensibly a threaded metal spindle upon which twenty-six wooden cylindrical pieces were fitted. Each of the wooden pieces contained all of the letters of the alphabet.

To use the device, a short message would be spelled out across one line of the letters. Then, the sender of the message would write down the corresponding gibberish which the recipient would then use to decipher the message by fiddling with the wheel. So, to use the example of the Monticello Web site, if one were to spell out “Cool Jefferson Wheel Cipher,” the line below it would read "NKYG NSUS NXML CQYO TYUH HFTD.” This is what would be sent to the recipient of the message who would align the letters on the wheel to break the code. Time consuming, but effective.

The wheel fell out of use in 1802 because it was kind of—kind of…silly, frankly. But, it had a good run and it did serve to revolutionize (no pun intended) the way in which secret communications were sent.

Building of the Week: Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, Virginia, United States

The West Front Facade
Monticello

To begin with, Jefferson’s famous Virginia estate is quite a bit newer than I originally thought. I’ve become so accustomed to buildings and objects from the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries that I had mentally categorized Monticello as falling into the latter era of building. However, the Palladian mansion that stands today was actually built in the Nineteenth Century.

The original structure at Monticello was a more modest two-story mansion that was erected in 1768 and occupied by Jefferson in 1770. After that, Thomas Jefferson was appointed Minister of the United States to France and subsequently moved from the U.S. During his travels, Jefferson became intimately acquainted with the architecture of Europe and saw first-hand the beautiful buildings he’d only seen illustrated in books. It was his viewing of French and Italian Palladian-style architecture which seems to have planted the seeds of his idea for his own home.

The East Front Facade
Monticello

Beginning in 1794, Jefferson returned to the U.S. and began working on designs for a major overhaul of Monticello which would incorporate the ideals of the architecture he’d seen abroad. The remodeling continued for many years and lasted until 1809.

The "Dome Room"
Monticello

One of the first orders of business was to double the size of the house by adding a parallel set of rooms and resituating the floor plan of the house. Massive East and West facades in a Palladian style were constructed with perfectly proportioned pediments and columns. The entire full-story second floor was completely removed and replaced with a more utilitarian mezzanine bedroom floor. Thomas Jefferson had two reasons for this. First, he was not a big fan of having too much furniture in the house (we’d not have been good friends) and didn’t feel that it was necessary to waste space with beds and wardrobes and other such nonsense. The bedrooms in the new design amounted to cupboards with sturdy Murphy beds and lots of built-in storage space. Secondly, by removing the second floor, he made room for the mansion’s most famous feature—its octagonal dome which is vaguely reminiscent of the dome of Italy’s Pantheon.

The Entrance Hall
Monticello

The mansion itself is not as large as it looks. It is, certainly, not a small house—amounting to 11,000 square feet. But, it appears to be much bigger than that. This owes in large part to the perfect scale of the structure. Every detail is perfectly measured and absolutely correct in scale. While the house is somewhat under-decorated, the architecture is superb.

Monticello, after Jefferson’s death, had several different owners before becoming a museum. It is the only private residence in the U.S. which has been designated as a World Heritage Site. Painstakingly restored, Monticello is open to the public. On rare occasions, the public is even allowed in the intimate dome room which has been painted in two of Jefferson’s favorite colors—“Mars Yellow” for the walls and “Grass Green” for the floors. If you’re in the Virginia area, you should visit this magnificent monument which served as the home, and now the burial place, of one of our most intriguing presidents.

"The Tea Room"
Monticello





Punch's Cousin, Chapter 178

“Arthur, darling,” Ulrika purred softly as she slipped back into her bedchamber. She was carrying a crystal carafe of bourbon which she’d snatched from Edward Cage’s parlor. She sashayed over to the bed and peered into the dim room, searching under the covers for the form of her lover.


Ulrika was surprised to see that though the bed was still warm, it was empty—nothing but a tangled mess of blankets. She put down the bourbon and ran her hand across the bed, withdrawing her fingers when they touched something wet. She studied her hand and found her fingers were coated with blood.

Her usual cool nature bubbled away and her heart began to race. She stifled a gulp and knealt down beside the empty bed where she noticed a lone purple feather tied to a folded slip of yellowed paper. Untying the page, she read aloud. “Did you really think that I’d have a short memory? I don’t want you thinkin’ that I do. Your man has a strong back. He’ll make some ship’s captain very happy. I’ll return him to you when you return what you’ve taken from me. –Iolanthe Evangeline.”

“Damn it!” Ulrika croaked. “That witch!”

At that very moment, further up Royal Street, Mr. Punch chuckled as Charles stammered.

“Sir, your sister isn’t manipulating me.” Charles said.

“Isn’t she?” Mr. Punch winked.

“I’ve come here because I decided it was the right thing to do.” Charles said. “Though Miss Barbara suggested that I’d enjoy a place in this household, I’ve come here today of my own volition. I know that I can serve you well, Your Grace. You’ll find me loyal and discreet. I already know of your particular…condition…”

“My condition,” Mr. Punch shook his head. “Here, the only condition I got is the condition of life. Just cuz I live my life as two people only means that I know what this body needs in order to survive. If survival is a condition, then I suppose I’m afflicted, otherwise, I’m not different than anyone else.”

“As you say, Your Grace.” Charles nodded.

“You like dogs?” Mr. Punch asked.

“Love them.” Charles smiled.

“You like babies? There’s a baby here. A nice baby, too. Me nephew—not by blood, but by love. Can you understand that?”

“Yes.” Charles nodded.

“There’s a little girl here, too. A good girl.” Mr. Punch continued. “They call her Columbia and you’re to understand that she’s a free little girl and should be treated as any other member of the household.”

“I see.” Charles answered.

“Can you treat folk what’re different than you with the same respect you’d treat me, a titled man, and this doctor and this artist and his wife?”

“Of course, Sir.” Charles said quickly. “In my eyes, all are equal.”

“He means that.” Mr. Punch smiled.

“Regardless, Your Grace,” Cecil interrupted. “He’s forged his letters of recommendation and comes to us through the interference of people who’d wish to do us ill.”

“You forged your things?” Mr. Punch asked.

“I did.” Charles frowned.

“Yet you admit you did wrong?” Mr. Punch continued.

“I always confess when I’ve sinned.” Charles nodded.

“What more can we ask of a man?” Mr. Punch sighed. “Here, if Barbara Allen or any of them other folk entreats you to work against me, to harm my family or to act in a way that’s unfit, will you comply with them or will you continue to serve us with loyalty and affection?”

“My affiliation is always with you, Your Grace.” Charles grinned.

“I believe him.” Mr. Punch said.

“Then, I may start?” Charles asked.

“Now, if you like.” Mr. Punch nodded.

“Now, just a moment,” Robert interrupted. “My dear, I don’t…I can’t let you…”

“Chum, let’s not have our first argument,” Mr. Punch smiled.

“I cannot agree to this.” Robert said angrily.

“It’s my decision to make.” Mr. Punch said.

“If you cannot see why this is unwise,” Robert growled. “You’re more ill than I…” He paused as he saw the look of hurt rise on Julian’s face.

“Go on, Chum.” Mr. Punch said. “If you got somethin’ to say…”



Did you miss Chapters 1-177? If so, you can read them here.