Monthly Archives: February 2012

The Science of Sleep

Posted on February 27, 2012 by mercedes-c

Last weekend, I saw this article on sleep habits on the BBC news website: The myth of the eight-hour sleep If you scroll down, you will see two prints used by Prof Ekirch as visual evidence of his findings on … Continue reading →

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The Society of Gentlemen at Exeter

Posted on February 23, 2012 by mercedes-c

One of Douce’s oldest friends was the writer Isaac D’Israeli (1766-1848), whose correspondence I am reading at the moment. Douce’s networks of antiquaries, artists, and fellow collectors hugely contributed to the formation and development of his collection. D’Israeli was responsible … Continue reading →

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Courtships and Love Affairs

Posted on February 14, 2012 by mercedes-c

After going through Douce’s folder labelled ‘Courtships & Love Affairs’, I think it is fair to say that he was not much of a romantic. His selection of images of romance includes this depiction of a gloomy ‘man in love’ … Continue reading →

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A game of cards

Posted on February 9, 2012 by mercedes-c

Among Douce’s many correspondents, Richard Twiss is probably my favourite -his style is maddening, since he constantly jumps from subject to subject, but his letters are very entertaining. He bombarded Douce with numerous enquiries about all sorts of matters often … Continue reading →

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