A Victorian home. Via Wikimedia Commons. In a series of visits to Britain between 1862 and 1870, outspoken Frenchman Hippolyte Taine wrote lengthily about his impressions, and his comments-at-a-distance give us a clear and fascinating view of our ancestors in a way that no other source quite achieves. Taine considered the most important feature of... Continue Reading →
‘Stronger Than a Man: Simpler Than a Child’: What did Emily Bronte (and your own ancestors) look like?
By Ruth A Symes Link to buy my books Amazon.co.uk: Ruth A Symes: books, biography, latest update Fragment of a larger portrait. But is this Emily or Anne? National Portrait Gallery via Wikimedia Commons [A version of this article was first published in the family history press in 2018] With the recent release of the latest... Continue Reading →
‘Bodily Misery and Spiritual Depression’: A Frenchman’s View of Victorian Britain (Snippet: 4)
John Constable, 'Seascape Study with Rain Cloud (Rainstorm over the Sea)', between 1824 and 1828 In a series of visits between 1862 and 1870, Frenchman Hippolyte Taine wrote lengthily about his impressions of all things British, and his comments-at-a-distance give us a clear and fascinating view of our ancestors in a way that no other... Continue Reading →