Lady Georgianna

The '18th-century party people', Lady Georgianna, are back with a new website and some dates in the Midlands.

If you don't know of them, they're a costumed trio (comprising singer, Allegra, harpsichordist Signora Storace, and Isabella Wrighten on cello) who blend popular songs of the period with light-hearted readings. Check out their Flickr stream for photos and above for the new video of Take Heed. The ladies make their own costumes (the famous 'cleavage-enhancing gowns') and they have a few tips for budding dresmakers on their site.

They're bringing their Ladies of Misrule programme (a risqué look at pleasure gardens) to St Columba’s Church, Moseley on October 24th and Lichfield Guildhall on December 6th, and they present a spooky insight into the first gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto, at St Columba’s Church on November 28th, for which the audience is encouraged to come in masks and costumes.

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Word of the week: Muliebrity

Womanhood; the contrary to virility; the manners and character of a woman.







From: Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language: An Anthology

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The Celebrations Continue...

The Johnson tercentenary celebrations are still in full swing here in Lichfield. Below are a couple of pictures I took yesterday: the first is Johnson's bust in the Birthplace Museum, decked with flowers, and the second is Johnson's statue in the Market Square which has a wreath placed on it each year to mark the birthday.




The Johnson Society's annual supper in Lichfield's Guildhall was a complete success last night, with the Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Reverend Jonathan Gledhill, taking up the post of President. If you're interested I've written a blow-by-blow account of the evening for The Lichfield Blog, but there are some photographs of the event below. We all received a commemorative Johnson clay pipe (bottom) made especially for the occasion.






Photographs © Memoirs of the Celebrated Mrs Woffington.

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