Dear Readers,
During the Regency, a female artist like Corinna might have had her picture accepted for the Summer Exhibition—but it's a sad truth that she probably never would have been elected to the Royal Academy of Arts. In 1768, the founding membership did include two women, Angelica Kauffmann and Mary Moser. However, ladies weren't admitted to the Royal Academy schools until 1861, and the next female Academician, Dame Laura Knight, wasn't elected until 1936.
Although we think of art from Corinna's era as classic, it was the contemporary art of its time, and the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition is the largest contemporary art show in the world. Held every year since 1769, the Exhibition is and always has been the place to see a wide range of new work by both established and unknown living artists. Admission cost one shilling in the nineteenth century, and the exhibit has been extraordinarily popular all along. Attendance grew from 60,000 in 1780 to 390,000 by 1879. In 2006, the show drew over 150,000 visitors (including me and my family!), and more than 1,200 works were included.
The Summer Exhibition Selection Committee members who attended Lady A's reception were the actual committee members in 1817, with the exception of Thomas Phillips. I removed him to make room for the fictional John Hamilton. I do apologize to Mr. Phillips, but I had to choose someone, and he was the man with the least biographical information to draw on.
It's been said that the modern novel was born in 1740, when Samuel Richardson wrote Pamela or Virtue and Reward. A tale of frustrated sexuality, it sparked controversy that created a thirst for more of the same. As a result, reading Gothic and romance fiction became a decades-long craze. Or maybe it still is a craze…as a romance reader, what do you think?
In about 1790, an Englishman named William Lane saw an opportunity and established Minerva Press. For a number of years, Lane dominated the novel publishing industry. Over half the popular books were printed by Minerva Press, and Lane reportedly made a fortune. According to the poet Samuel Rogers, Lane was often seen tooling around London in a splendid carriage, attended by footmen with cockades and gold-headed canes. All of the lines from books that Corinna recalls in The Art of Temptation are real quotes from Minerva Press novels that Corinna could have purchased in 1817.
Most of the homes in my books are inspired by real places. I modeled Lincolnshire House on Devonshire House, which was designed by William Kent and served as the London residence of the Dukes of Devonshire for nearly two hundred years. Because I wanted Lord Lincolnshire to live in Berkeley Square, I turned this house around—in reality, the house fronted on Piccadilly Street and its gardens backed up to the square. Devonshire House is no longer standing, but before it was demolished in the 1920s, many of the interior furnishings were moved to Chatsworth, the duke's residence in the countryside. You can still see some of them there.
Sean's house was inspired by Kenwood House in Hampstead. Set in an idyllic landscape beside Hampstead Heath, the house was expanded by Robert Adam between 1764 and 1779. Although Sean didn't have any paintings, the real house is a veritable gallery. Edward Cecil Guinness, brewing magnate and first Earl of Iveagh, bought Kenwood House in 1925, and when he died in 1927, he bequeathed the estate and part of his art collection to Britain. The house is open daily all year round, and if you visit you will see important paintings by many great artists including Rembrandt, Vermeer, Constable, Turner, Reynolds, and Gainsborough. I like to imagine that, with Sean's vast fortune at her disposal, Corinna might have put together such a collection!
The Chases' town house at 44 Berkeley Square has been described as "the finest terrace house of London." It was designed in 1742 by William Kent for Lady Isabella Finch. Unfortunately, you cannot visit, because the building is currently being used as a private club, but if you go to Berkeley Square, you can see it from the outside. Look for the blue door.
Stafford House, Juliana's home in St. James's Place, is based on Spencer House, one of the great architectural landmarks of London. Built in the eighteenth century by John, 1st Earl Spencer (an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales), it was immediately recognized as a building of major importance. Should you ever find yourself in London, I highly recommend a visit. Spencer House is open to the public every Sunday except during January and August.
To see pictures and learn more about the real people and real places featured in The Art of Temptation, please visit my website at www.LaurenRoyal.com, where you can also find modern versions of all the recipes in this book, sign up for my newsletter, and enter a contest to win Corinna's claddagh necklace.
If you missed Alexandra's story, you can find it in Lost in Temptation, the first book in my Regency Chase Family Series. Juliana's story was told in the second book, Tempting Juliana.
And if you'd like to read about earlier generations of the Chase family, check out my book Amethyst, the first title in my Chase Family Series. You'll find an excerpt in the back of this book. Amethyst, set in 1666, features Colin Chase, an ancestor of Rachael's brother and sisters. And the second Chase Family Series book, Emerald, is the story of Jason Chase, an ancestor of Griffin and his sisters.
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I hope you enjoyed The Art of Temptation—thank you for reading!
Till next time,