SOCIETY OF 18th-CENTURY GENTLEMAN’S MAGAZINE BLOG
This page offers subscribers to The Society of 18th-Century Gentlemen’s Magazine additional information and links of interest relating to recent magazine articles, plus other odd bits that might be of general interest. It will be updated each quarter to coincide with the mailing of the current issue.
January-March 2011 - ENTERING OUR TENTH YEAR!!
(Check back in a few days - still working on this update)
October-December 2010
Well, once again I have fallen a bit behind in keeping this page up-to-date.
This link features an interesting interview with Frederick Noesner, author of "The Fortunate Ones."
Here is the full-color rendition of Lord Vernon described in this issue:
and of the c. 1780 "Old Plantation" illustration depicting an early gourd banjo:
July-September 2010
Even though the fanciful umbrella arrangement is obviously intended as a farce, this cartoon by James Gillray acurately depicts a typical sedan chair of the later 18th-century.
See the colored Paul Sandby illustration of the stocking vendor, as described in this issue, here.
A hi-rez JPG of King George III (suitable for framing!) from the January, 1764 issue of Court and City Magazine can be downloaded here. This image was made in the fourth year of his reign.
April-June 2010
Here is the color version of the Irouois Leader Sa Ga Yeath Qua Pieth Tow, or “King of the Maquas” that accompanied the article on tattoos. I have attempted to brighten it up a bit so that you can see the details. 
January-March 2010
This isssue was a bit late getting to press and into the mail for a variety of reasons, but I trust that it was worth the wait!
Here is a Flash animation of the fencing salute detailed on pages 4-5. It is a bit more jerky than I had hoped, but because each image is a separate hand-drawn engraving the "tweening" process didn't work as well as anticipated. Still, along with the description in the Magazine you should get the idea.
October-December 2009
This is Mr. Gustavus Hamilton (1710-1746) dressed in "domino" costume of the masquerade (the original painting is from the Metropolitan Museum of Art). This was the outfit most often worn by those who didn't have time or money (or perhaps weren't clever enough) to come up with a character costume for the masquerade.
Note the fur-trimmed satin banyan-like garment and the light pink, silver-trimmed wasitcoat peeking out underneath. The black lace veil is worn over the head and falls down around the sides and back of the head to further conceal the identity of the wearer.
The mask is probably papier maché, but might also be of pressed leather. These "half masks" are still quite common today (made of paper or plastic), or you might try making your own following the instructions here or here.
The half-mask was also worn with a character costume and might be painted or "made up" to resemble a famous celebrity or politician or some figure from popular culture -- much as is often seen during Halloween today. Characters from the comedia del arte were also very common (see page 15 of the October-December issue).
July-September 2009
Since I wrote the article on 18th-century angling, “Angling Made Easy” for the April-June issue I found a wonderful source for "grass" angling lines. The attached image shows a hank of hemp cord I picked up at Joann Fabrics for just a dollar or two. It is 15 yards -- enough for at least two and possibly three lines -- one to use one as a backup and one to share with a friend. I am going to rub this down with a beeswax candle stub for rot-resistance and I'm sure it will make a nice period-appropriate line -- far neater and stronger than the sisal twine that I had recommended.
Click here to see a color version of the men playing bowls. This painting dates from around 1660 and is the National Gallery, London. Is it my imagination or do the bowls being played appear to be of different colors? An interesting detail.
A few interesting links pertaining to 18th-century mandolins and other stringed instruments can be seen here and here. The girl pictured in the article can be seen here (in all her glory -- why this young strumpet can't keep their clothing properly arranged while tuning their instrument is entirely beyond my comprehension).
A color picture of the document box featured on page 23 can be seen here.
April-June 2009
This link will take you to more information and a full-color portrait of General James Grant.
Some links on 18th-century golf: Rules, Golf Museum, and more history.
Click the link for a larger, full-color view of Mr. Andrews in his hunting dress (as described on page 11). More on gentleman's dress can be seen withing these pages.
January-March 2009
This is an MP3 file of the tune "Lass O Gowrie", featured in the January-March 2009 issue.
Click for more information on St. John's Church
The writings of Ignatius Sancho
More information on indentured servants
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