Painting of the Day: “An Al-Fresco Toilette,” 1885-1897

An Al-Fresco Toilette
Samuel Luke Fildes
1885-1897
The Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool

Liverpool-born artist Samuel Luke Fildes considered himself a member of the Neo-Venetian School of painters who excelled at depicting joyful scenes of everyday life and people. Fildes studied in Italy and did a number of sketches which he planned to transform into full-scale paintings. One idea that he had was to show a decaying Venetian palace as a backdrop for a scene of middle class girls romping about and worrying about their beauty. Fildes found humor in the fact that many of the once-great palazzos had become the homes of several lower-income families who were obsessed with looking wealthy when they weren’t really.


Fildes struggled with this painting for twelve years before he finally allowed it be sold. He was never fully satisfied with the final product which he altered repeatedly. The painting was purchased by art collector Arthur Anderson to hang in his palatial London townhouse. In 1913, it was sold to Lord Leverhulme who thought that the scene of grooming would be effective in advertisements for his line of soap. Though always a businessman first, Leverhulme did appreciate a good piece of art. Thanks to his interference, the painting is now permanently protected in Liverpool’s Lady Lever Art Gallery.

Person of the Week: Jean Marsh

As a passionate devotee of ITV’s Upstairs, Downstairs, I have a perennial soft-spot for the goings-on at the fictional 165 Eaton Place. I was quite delighted this weekend to get my first look at the continuation of the series which was broadcast on BBC 1 during Christmas of 2010. I have to say that it’s even more brilliant than I’d hoped! But, we’ll have more about that in our “Sunday Viewing” feature in a few days.


One thing is for sure, for me, the heart of Upstairs, Downstairs is Jean Marsh who not only plays “Rose Buck,” but also one of the two women who created the show in 1971. Eileen Atkins (who now stars in the newest version of the show) and Jean Marsh worked together to create a series which would truthfully depict the lives of the people “below stairs.” While most dramas dealt exclusively with the high-tone antics of the upper class, Marsh and Atkins knew that the staff members of grand homes had their own equally-interesting worries and tales. This concept developed into the program that we know today.

The Upstairs, Downstairs Web Pages

However, there’s more to Jean Marsh than just Rose Buck. Miss Marsh has enjoyed a distinguished and fascinating career. Born in Stoke Newington, London, Miss Marsh wished to pursue acting at an early age, and in the 1950’s and 1960’s won many roles on popular television programs both in the U.K. and the U.S. Some of her standout turns on television include appearances on The Twilight Zone, Gideon’s Way, I Spy and The Saint. In the late 1960’s, Miss Marsh appeared several times in Dr. Who as well as the serial, The Crusade.

The 1970’s were a fruitful and exciting time for Jean Marsh as Upstairs, Downstairs became an international hit which won her many awards, including an Emmy, for her work as house parlor-maid, Rose Buck. Following the initial conclusion of Upstairs, Downstairs in 1975, Miss Marsh continued to work in television and also picked up with her film career, appearing in prominent roles in several large productions.

In 1991, Atkins and Marsh again reteamed to create a new series—The House of Eliott—which ran through 1992. Now, with the revival of Upstairs, Downstairs, Miss Marsh and Rose are once again visiting our homes.

For her many contributions to the arts through her superlative acting, writing and overall beautiful way of thinking, Jean Marsh is our “Person of the Week.”

The original cast of Upstairs, Downstairs, 1971
The Upstairs, Downstairs Web Pages

The 2010 cast of the show
The Upstairs Downstairs Web Pages

Sculpture of the Day: Burns and Highland Mary, 1851

Burns and "Highland Mary"
Copeland & Sons, Ltd., 1851
Parian
Purchased by Queen Victoria
and Prince Albert at
The Dublin Exhibition, 1853
Also included were two glass
lamp shades.
The Royal Collection

Ye banks, and braes, and streams around
The castle o' Montgomery!
Green be your woods, and fair your flowers,
Your waters never drumlie:
There Simmer first unfauld her robes,
And there the langest tarry;
For there I took the last Farewell
O' my sweet Highland Mary.
--Robert Burns, 1792


With the rise of Parian ware, in the 1850’s, sculpture was becoming something that even the middle classes of Britain could afford. This unglazed biscuit mimicked the look of marble without the expense and was the perfect medium to create both original figures and reproductions of famous artwork.


Queen Victoria and Prince Albert—who had access to all the marbles in the world—were keen collectors of Parian figures because they liked the intimacy of the pieces and the feel of the medium. They allowed makers of Parian ware such as Copeland & Sons to create Parian reproductions of several of their most beloved full-scale marble figures so that others could also enjoy their beauty.

While at the Dublin Exhibition in 1853, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert purchased two Parian figural groups by Copeland & Sons with the intention of making them into lamp bases. This is one of the two groups. Created in 1851, the group depicts the poet Robert Burns with his lady-love, Mary Campbell, who as known as “Highland Mary.” Not only were Victoria and Albert drawn to the medium, they also liked the romantic subject matter—being as they were similarly in love.

Treat of the Week: A Rich Chocolate Cinnamon Cake

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of cake. Cake and I have had a longstanding friendship and I appreciate it in all its many forms. This, however, is one of my favorites. What sets this cake apart from other chocolate cakes is the inclusion of cinnamon in the batter which elevates the flavor to a spiced richness which far surpasses the average chocolate cake.


Walnuts, raisins and chocolate chips add texture and mellow flavor to this extremely moist, delicate cake. Iced with a creamy mocha frosting, the cake is garnished with chocolate chips which give extra bite to each mouthful.

This, like many of the wonderful confections my mother creates is a recipe of her own creation. Creating your own masterpieces is part of the excitement of cooking. If you’d like to create a similar cake, an online search for basic chocolate cake recipes will give you a starting point to combine your favorite flavors into one exceptionally delicious work of art.

Meanwhile, I’ll do a search for a fork and get to eating…

Punch's Cousin, Chapter 200

“I’ll go with you,” Adrienne said quickly.


Cecil nodded. “Yes, that would be best. My dear, no matter what, we must remain calm. We must in no way indicate that we know anything about where Barbara and her child are.”

“I understand.” Adrienne responded.

“Maybe I done better open the door for ya.” Marjani offered again. “It’ll look more like everythin’ is the way it ought to be, not like we’re…”

“Yes, of course.” Cecil interrupted. “Let’s go.” He paused. “Marjani, you’ve known Edward Cage longer than I have. You know what he’s capable of doing.”

“I do.” Marjani said. “We’ll be fine. I promise ya.”

“Meridian,” Cecil began urgently. “We must hide Miss Allen and Colin. Is there anywhere in this house where they could go and be undetected?”

Meridian bit her lip. Her eyes brightened. “There’s a spot in the attic. It’s a cedar-lined wardrobe where Dr. Biamenti keeps furs.”

“Take them there, please.” Cecil said, taking his wife’s arm and heading for the door of the nursery.

“I’d best go first,” Marjani rushed past them as the knocking and screaming from below grew louder.

Mr. Punch held Colin closer to himself and looked with wet eyes at Robert.

“Columbia, dear,” Robert said to the small girl whose head still rested on Mr. Punch’s arm. “Would you like to help me with something?”

“Yes.” Columbia smiled, sitting up.

“Would you take Toby downstairs to your room and play with him in there for awhile?” Robert asked.

“Is that all?” Columbia giggled. “That’s easy!”

“Well, I have it on good authority that Toby wants to play with you.” Robert smiled.

“Really?” Columbia grinned.

“That’s right.” Robert nodded.

“Come on, Toby.” Columbia stood up, patting her leg. Toby rose and shook his fur out, trotting after Columbia with his tail wagging.

“We must hurry!” Barbara hissed.

“In a moment, Barbara!” Robert spat. “There’s no point in upsetting the girl.” He smiled at Columbia. “Now, you go play.”

“Can Uncle Punch come with us?” Columbia asked.

“No, Little Chum,” Punch said as brightly as he could, “Uncle Punch’s gotta stay with these babies, he does.”

“Oh.” Columbia nodded.

“But, I’ll come down in a little while and play with ya.” Punch smiled.

“Good!” Columbia chirped, skipping out of the room. Toby followed eagerly behind.

“Your devotion to the servants’ children is touching,” Barbara frowned.

“We are all in this together.” Robert growled.

“Julian, give my son to me.” Barbara squawked, aware from the sound of his voice that Edward Cage was in the house. She heard another voice—a familiar voice—and recognized it immediately as that of Ulrika Rittenhouse.

Punch looked at Robert who nodded. “It’s the only way.”

“This don’t mean that I’m lettin’ this child go anywhere without me.” Mr. Punch said, handing Colin to Meridian instead of Barbara.

“Come with me, Miss Allen,” Meridian said quickly.

“He’s my son,” Barbara whispered to Mr. Punch as she hurried out after Meridian.

“We’ll see about that,” Mr. Punch retorted.

Robert took Fuller from Punch’s lap and placed the child in the bassinet.

“Your nephews love you very much,” Robert smiled as calmly as he could.

“They’re your nephews, too, they are.” Mr. Punch said. “Colin is just as much yours as Fuller is mine.”

“True.” Robert nodded.

“Will you do this with me, Chum?” Punch asked. “We got what we came for. We got Barbara. We got the child. Sure, we didn’t get the diamond, no. But, Robert, we got other diamonds. Besides, we got somethin’ more precious. We got a future. We got someone to carry on. Let’s go home.”

Robert smiled.

Before he could respond, Meridian came back into the room. “They’re comin’ up the stairs.” She whispered.

Meridian took her spot in the rocking chair next to the bassinet.

“Did you get…” Robert began.

“Everythin’ is all safe and sound.” Meridian nodded.

From the passage they could hear Edward Cage shouting.

Cecil responded, “Edward, we’ve already told you that the only baby you’ll find in this house is my own son, Fuller.”

Edward burst into the nursery, followed by Ulrika Rittenhouse. He walked immediately to the bassinet and grabbed the sides of it with his hands.

“Sir!” Meridian stood up. “Don’t do that!”

“Quiet!” Edward yelled.

“Mr. Halifax?” Meridian called out.

Cecil and Adrienne came into the room, followed by Marjani.

“Edward, I’m going to ask you calmly to unhand my child.” Cecil said in a measured tone.

Edward Cage released his grip on the bassinet.

“I know you have Holt in this house.” Edward bellowed.

“Why don’t we ask these two fools, Mr. Cage?” Ulrika winked. “Really, if it isn’t the good doctor and his dimwitted companion.”

“Always nice to see you, Ulrika.” Robert grumbled.

“Where’s your sister, Lord Fallbridge?” Edward snapped.

“Actually, His Grace should be addressed as such. He is the Duke of Fallbridge now.” Marjani interrupted.

“How dare you correct me?” Edward shouted. “Keep to your place!”

He narrowed his eyes at Mr. Punch. “Where is she…Your Grace? Where’s the witch who stole my son?”

“I don’t know.” Mr. Punch responded in his Julian voice. “I’ve neither seen nor heard from my sister in quite some time. She and I are estranged, you know. Her whereabouts aren’t my concern.”

“Liar!” Edward grunted.

Ulrika cooed, “Now, now mad man. This could go so much easier if you’d cooperate. A crime has been committed.”

“You would know all about crimes. Wouldn’t you?” Mr. Punch responded, still speaking as Julian.

“Lunatic.” Ulrika hissed.

“Uncle Punch?” A small voice said from the doorway.

Everyone turned to see Columbia come back to the room.

“Columbia, Honey.” Marjani said quickly, going to her granddaughter. “What you doin’ up here? Go back to your room, Chil’.”

“I will, Grandmama.” Columbia smiled. “I just come up to get Toby’s toy. We’re gonna play with it.”

“That’s good, Chil’. Hurry up now.” Marjani said.

Columbia retrieved Toby’s stuffed toy and paused next to Mr. Punch. “Uncle Punch, can the boys come and play with me, too?”

“Boys?” Edward raised his eyebrows. He knelt on the floor at eye level with Columbia and grinned. “What boys do you mean, Girl?”



Did you miss Chapters 1-199? If so, you can read them here.

Object of the Day: A Playbill from 1954’s “Anniversary Waltz”

At the Broadhurst Theater in midtown Manhattan in 1954, a Broadway version of Jerome Chodorov’s and Joseph Field’s Anniversary Waltz opened. The play takes place on the fifteenth wedding anniversary of a happy couple as they entertain a party of their family and friends. Slightly intoxicated, the husband makes one slight error while making his toast. He confesses that he and his wife had been more than a little romantic before they were legally married. What ensues is a hilarious look at family dynamics and married life.


The 1954 version of the play starred MacDonald Carey as the husband and the great Kitty Carlisle as the wife. Miss Carlisle was well-known to audiences through her work in both films and television as well as he long stage career. Carey was the “King of B-Pictures” who had a chance at stardom in Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt.

As a longtime fan of Miss Carlisle, I added this to my collection of Kitty-related memorabilia several years ago.

Punch’s Cousin: The First Two Hundred Chapters

Since Punch’s Cousin began in July, 2010, we’ve been following the journey of Julian Molliner and his companion, Robert Halifax as they traveled from England to Louisiana in search of Julian’s missing sister, Barbara, and the famous blue diamond that had once belonged to Julian’s father. On their voyage, we discovered that Lord Julian had long dealt with his agoraphobia by developing an alternate personality—Mr. Punch. Mr. Punch was the opposite of Julian in many ways. Much like his puppet namesake, Punch was quick to react, rather rough, impetuous and cunning. With Robert’s influence, Mr. Punch developed into a child-like, but brave and loyal figure who was devoted to his family and to protecting Julian.


Their lives changed in monumental ways when they arrived in Louisiana. They discovered that Lady Barbara had become involved with a wicked woman named Iolanthe Evangeline—an infamous brothel-owner, sorceress and murderess known as The Elegant Ogress. Iolanthe had sold Barbara’s child to a wealthy Louisiana family, the Cages of Marionneaux.

The first one hundred chapters of Punch’s Cousin are summarized here.

Chapter 100 began with the death of Marjani’s daughter and son-in-law from the vicious Yellow Fever. Marjani, who had nursed Robert through his illness, was bereft at the loss. Her employer, Manuel Fontanals, sent for Marjani and offered freedom to both Marjani and her granddaughter, Columbia. Marjani accepted the freedom, but not until she reminded Mr. Fontanals that his rape of her daughter had led to Columbia’s conception. Mr. Fontanals denied Marjani’s claim and dismissed her. Marjani turned to Julian and the Halifaxes for help.

Meanwhile, Mr. Punch/Julian and the Halifaxes traveled to New Orleans for Edward Cage’s annual New Year’s Eve Ball. They were joined by Julian’s loyal valet, Naasir, and a young maid named Gamilla. Cecil and Robert had concocted a plan with Adrienne to stage a pantomime at the masquerade wherein they would expose Iolanthe Evangeline’s many crimes. Also in New Orleans was Ulrika Rittenhouse who had begun a bizarre affair with Julian’s former valet, the murderous Arthur. Ulrika intended to separate Arthur (Lady Barbara’s husband and the father of her child) from Barbara. The ginger trouble-maker had possession of the Molliner Blue Diamond which she’d stolen from Barbara and had a document that stated that upon the death of Barbara and Julian, the Molliner fortune would revert to her.

Iolanthe Evangeline had plans of her own. She contacted Julian’s mother, the Duchess of Fallbridge in England and convinced the woman to travel to New Orleans. When Pauline, the Duchess of Fallbridge arrived in Louisiana, she was greeted by Iolanthe Evangeline who concealed her identity for awhile. Eventually, Iolanthe blackmailed the Duchess with the information that Pauline had ordered the murder of her husband, Sir Colin Moliner. The Duchess complied with Iolanthe’s wishes. Meanwhile, Iolanthe commanded that Naasir be brought to her. Iolanthe believed that if she offered up a human sacrifice, she would have the power to cure her mentally-disabled child. Naasir, a believer in fate, allowed himself to be brought to Iolanthe. The Duchess was shocked when Iolanthe overpowered her and drained her of her blood, hoping to use it in her sacrifice.

Mr. Punch and Robert arrived as Naasir was being burned alive. They stopped the fire, but not before Naasir was terribly injured. Robert took Naasir home while Mr. Punch attempted to rescue the Duchess. The Duchess proved difficult and Mr. Punch realized that she could not be saved because, frankly, she didn’t want to be. He left her at Iolanthe’s house.

Meanwhile, Adrienne was surprised to see a face from her past arrive at their borrowed New Orleans home. A woman named Nellie visited Adrienne. Nellie and Adrienne had been friends when they both worked for Iolanthe Evangeline. Sadly, Adrienne’s kindness toward Nellie was not rewarded. Nellie was in league with Ulrika Rittenhouse who intended to use Nellie to murder Julian/Mr. Punch and make it look like a suicide. Nellie slipped poison into Julian’s water, but it was Gamilla who drank the lethal fluid. Gamilla survived, but remained quite ill. Cecil and Adrienne realized that Nellie was responsible for the poison. When they went to confront her, they were shocked to see the figure of a woman hanging from the rafters in Nellie’s room. They soon realized that it wasn’t Nellie who had been hanged. The body they found was that of the Duchess of Fallbridge who had been murdered by Iolanthe Evangeline and left as a warning for Julian and his companions.

Mr. Punch felt very guilty upon discovering that the Duchess had been killed and blamed himself for her death, believing that if he had insisted that she leave with him, she would not have been killed. Julian resurfaced to say goodbye to his mother and to entreat his friends to look after a shaken Mr. Punch.

Marjani and Naasir bonded as she cared for him. Naasir insisted that it was his destiny to die in fire. Marjani told him to try to be strong. Meanwhile, Robert, Cecil and Adrienne prepared for the New Year’s Masquerade as Ulrika realized that Iolanthe had managed to steal the diamond from her. Robert and Cecil dressed as characters from the Punch & Judy puppet shows—“The Doctor” and “Jack Ketch” respectively, while Mr. Punch went as his namesake. Adrienne’s disguise was a little different. She dressed as Iolanthe Evangeline.

When they arrived at the ball, they were surprised when Nellie appeared—frenzied and bloodied. Ulrika had slashed the woman’s face with a broken bottle as punishment for failing in her attempted murder of Julian. Iolanthe triumphantly took Nellie back to her brothel, saying that the woman now had no other choice.

Mr. Punch and Adrienne began a bitter pantomime which incriminated Iolanthe who became enraged. Iolanthe’s ire was interrupted by Marie Laveau who appeared to add fuel to the fire. Iolanthe retreated to her home with Marie Laveau, quickly followed by Ulrika Rittenhouse and Arthur. Mr. Punch pursued them. An altercation ensued wherein Arthur shot Mr. Punch in the chest.

Horrified, Barbara tried to save her brother. She renounced Iolanthe and agreed to leave with Marie Laveau. Marjani—who had had a premonition—arrived and carried Mr. Punch to the safety of St. Louis Cathedral where he was found by Robert, Adrienne and Cecil.

Though Robert had managed to remove the bullet and stop the bleeding, Julian’s body developed a terrible fever. With Marjani’s help, Naasir was brought to Julian’s room. Naasir tried to heal Julian, but in doing so exhausted himself and died. While unconscious, Julian and Mr. Punch bonded within their shared body in an imaginary room that only the two of them could see. Naasir’s spirit entered Julian’s body briefly and left an ethereal key which Julian understood would open the door to his repressed memories.

Mr. Punch awoke and mourned Naasir. Meanwhile, Ulrika and Iolanthe battled and Barbara began a new life working for Marie Laveau. Marie orchestrated a meeting between Barbara and another servant, Charles Van Eyck. Barbara liked Charles immediately and suggested that he apply for the position of her brother’s valet.

Robert was at first distrustful of Charles, but Mr. Punch/Julian insisted that the man be engaged. Charles admitted that he was using an assumed name because he was feeling from his murderous brother, a sculptor named Giovanni Iantosca who was known to lead a gang of criminals. Charles suggested that it was his brother who had helped the Duchess of Fallbridge murder Sir Colin Molliner with the assistance of a man called, “The Professor.”

Not only was “The Professor” familiar to Julian/Mr. Punch because of the man’s presence on the ship and in Marionneaux, but because while they were unconscious, they recalled some of the horrors of Julian’s childhood and torture at the hand of the cruel man. Punch realized that the Duchess of Fallbridge had had a long association with “The Professor.”

Ulrika managed to steal the diamond back from Iolanthe who punished her by abducting Arthur and shipping him off to sea. In an effort to retrieve Arthur, Ulrika presented Iolanthe with a counterfeit diamond. Iolanthe was not amused and took Ulrika to the docks where they encountered Charles and Barbara who interfered.

Barbara hurried to her brother and begged for his help. Julian told his sister that he’d help her, but would not lift a finger to aid Arthur. Barbara fled the house and rushed to see Ulrika at the Cages’ house. There, she saw her child for the first time since she sold him. In a fit of sentimentality, Barbara abducted the baby and pleaded with Adrienne, Marjani and Cecil to help her.

Adrienne agreed. Together with Robert and Cecil, she devised a plan to return Barbara and her child to England. As Julian retreated and Mr. Punch resurfaced, he bonded with his nephew. Upon learning of their plan, Mr. Punch insisted that the child was his heir and that no one was taking him anywhere.

As we begin with Chapter 200, we’ll see the battle for Barbara’s son intensify. Meanwhile, the threats of Ulrika, Iolanthe and Marie Laveau are still very present. Julian has his own battles to deal with as his memories of his childhood return. He’ll also has to struggle with his newly inherited title of the Duke of Fallbridge as he’s called to his duties in England. Ulrika will find a dangerous ally in a new face—Charles’ wicked brother, Giovanni.

There’s a lot in store for the next one hundred chapters of Punch’s Cousin. I can’t wait to share them with you.