Middle Class Regency Women

Today I got together a power point presentation in preparation for a talk I am giving to the Calgary Guild of Needle and Fibre Arts, my local embroidery guild. I am going to share with them the research I did for an Opus module where I looked into the interests and activities of middle class women during the English Regency period (1800-1830).

I found it to be a fascinating time for women. For example, it was one of the few times in history women wore clothing that didn't distort or contort their bodies into unnatural shapes. They had a freedom of movement which allowed them to lead active lives and to follow their interests.

BA (Hons) Embroidered Textiles

You haven't heard from me for a while because I dropped off the planet to finish this semester's module of work before Christmas. It was all about learning to do research. The final assignment was to write a 3,000 word illustrated essay. I chose to write about the interests of middle class women during the Regency period in England. I focused on the first 30 years of the nineteenth century, the Jane Austen period. I found the whole exercise so interesting.

I have now shipped my work to my tutor in England and I am in catch-up mode with all of the things I have neglected this passed month.

The image above is an illustration I used in my essay. It is an engarving of a portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence of a Regency woman.