Scrap of the Day: The Music Hall Masher, 1890

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome scrap from 1890 was colored by hand and depicts a blonde female music hall performer, dressed in masculine garb--wearing a small grey bowler hat, and a monocle in her left eye. She is smoking a cigarette and holding a cane by her face. The scrap is titled “Pantomime Masher” and was printed by Siegmund Hildesheimer & Co.

The woman depicted here is the celebrated music hall male impersonator Vesta Tilley.

History's Runway: The Cocteau Cigarette Headscarf, 1937-9

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This sumptuous head scarf of hand-printed silk features a design with a pair of crossed cigarettes in each corner, the smoke of each forms the scarf’s pattern of green, yellow, blue, red, black and white. One cigarette in each pair shows the signature Jean, while the other bears a star monogram. The edges of this elegant scarf are hand-rolled.

Made in France between 1937-1939, this is the work of the celebrated Jean Cocteau.  

Painting of the Day: Anemones and Gauloise Cigarettes, 1938

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This brilliantly colored painting of a vase of anemones and a packet of Gauloise cigarettes is dated 11/07/1938 and is the work of Edward McKnight Kauffer, an American-born designer and painter. Kauffer was one of the principal graphic artists of the first half of the Twentieth Centur, known for his poster and advertisement work in Britain between the two world wars/ Furthermore, his book illustrations and theater designs were considered amongst the most influential of his day.

When he first started out, Kauffer considered himself a painter above all else. This bright still life is one of a group of four paintings (two landscapes and two still-lifes) which were purchased by the V&A in 1980.

Punch’s Cousin will Return Tomorrow

My original intention was to pick up with Punch’s Cousin, Chapter 423 today.  But, to be honest, I’m over-tired and over-fed, and if I were to write a chapter today, I think the best I could muster would be to have Mr. Punch lie down next to Toby and take a nap, then maybe get up for a snack.


So, since I’m capable of more interesting things than that, I think we’ll wait until tomorrow.

Treat of the Week: Yuletide Decadence

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year, and, as always, we had several days of fantastic feasts thanks to my mother.

On Christmas Eve, we began the celebration with a wonderful pasta with a sauce of cream, asiago cheese, Romano cheese, mozzarella, parmigiano, fontina, ricotta, Gorgonzola, tomato pureé, cream, basil, and scallions which is then baked to bubbly, gooey perfection.  We each had our own personalized antipasto to go with it.  And, we all ate far too much.

This was, of course, followed by tea and many, many of the glorious Christmas cookies and candy that my mother spent hours upon hours baking.

Typically, our Christmas tradition begins thusly--a large Italian feast starts of the festivities.  This is a nod to our Italian heritage.  In case you hadn't guessed, "Crisalli" is an Italian name.  Christmas Day,  however, we indulge in a traditional English feast--not because we're English, but because we are Anglophiles.  This will come as no surprise to regular readers of this site.

So, on Christmas Day, we stuffed ourselves with herbed prime rib and Yorkshire puddings (one of my favorite things in the world) garnished with a luxurious gravy and whipped cream infused with horseradish.  Gorgeous!  This is accompanied by roasted potatoes and petite, buttered Brussels Sprouts.

We ended the meal by popping open our Christmas crackers and donning our paper crowns.  We do this every year, and every year, Bertie runs from the dining room.  The sound of the crackers snapping frightens him.  And, so, once Bertie was soothed and convinced we weren't shooting one another, we sliced into this year's Christmas Cottage Cake.

This ginger spice pound cake,  in the form of a snow-covered cottage is painstakingly decorated by my mother who takes great care with it--down to ensuring that each of the four trees is topped by an icing star.

A wonderful time was had by all, and, frankly, I'm still full.

Object of the Day: A Mr. Punch Vesta Case

Well, here we are…Bertie, Joseph and Mr. Punch. Well, okay, really just Joseph. I’m getting a slow start today. I suppose I’m sluggish from eating my body weight in cookies, cake, and Yorkshire pudding. But, I suppose better late than never.

We had a fabulous Christmas. Lots of time together relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. And, of course, presents. Among the many treasures that Santa brought down the chimney, was this exceptionally beautiful sterling silver vesta case in the form of my dear Mr. Punch. I’ve wanted one of these for quite a long time, so I was particularly thrilled to open that gift.
In case you don’t know, vesta cases (also known as vesta boxes, or match safes) are small portable boxes made in a great variety of forms and shapes with snap-shut covers to contain vestas (short matches) so that they might remain dry.

These short matches are named after one of their early makers (whose name was taken from the goddess Vesta, the Roman goddess of fire). These beautiful and useful containers came into use around the 1830s and were produced well into the 1920s. Some companies continue to make them to this day though for collectible as opposed to practical purposes.

I’m really, really tickled by this gift. And, just to make sure that Mr. Punch doesn’t get lonely, I was also presented with a companion for him, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see him.

Christmas Special: Ho, Ho, No...

Merry Christmas!

Celebrate with the Little King as he picks up and bathes with some hobos...one of whom is wearing something special under his rags.



And, what's Christmas without Popeye?



Or Little Audrey and some demented cake?




And, of course, our Mr. Punch with Santa and some racially insensitive puppets...