Victoria January/February 2019

On a cold and frosty day, is there anything more enchanting than the opportunity to pause for a moment’s repose? The promise of even a few unhurried hours seems to literally sparkle with possibility. It is often during this quiet time—whether lost in a fascinating book or engrossed in a creative pursuit—that we find a renewal of joy. Perhaps the only prospect more refreshing to my spirit than an afternoon whiled away in solitude is one spent in the company of friends. With that thought in mind, we are delighted to welcome two cherished contributors to our pages for 2019. Writer-in-Residence Carol Rizzoli, author of The House at Royal Oak, returns nearly a decade after her first tenure with Victoria. Her essay on page 13 reminds us of the incomparable pleasures…

Take a closer look at some of our favorite January/February features: Sweet Sentiments Esteemed Artist-in-Residence Stephanie Monahan’s tokens of affection bring together a love of personal letters, ephemera, and the art of paper crafting. Blue & White Tradition Elegant china from Royal Delft, the last remaining Delftware pottery in the Netherlands, adds a hallmark of grace to the table. A Haven of Lace Steal away to Northern Ireland, where the most delicate of stitches find oasis in a shop and museum dedicated to preserving their rich legacy of hand-crafted beauty. Comfort in a Cup While winter winds blow, settle in before the hearth with our delectable recipes. Each steaming beverage and freshly baked treat brings home an unforgettable taste of the local coffeehouse. Visit our website to read this issue’s online stories and to find more of the content you…

Last year was pivotal for me, as I took the first steps to begin a new chapter in my life. I mentally set the timer to signal the end of a successful twenty-five-year sales career. This profession brought many personal and financial rewards but never held my heart or fulfilled my passion. For a while now, I have dabbled with developing a cooking blog. Inspired by the island of Martha’s Vineyard, where my husband and I recently purchased a vacation home, I am ready to start anew, following my dream to become a writer. As I survey the past with fondness, I look to the future with anticipation. Turning the page, I embark on an exhilarating journey. I’m reminded of a favorite poem by Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on…

As a new year approaches, talk of parties, resolutions, and even house cleaning resounds, while inner thoughts turn, as always, to my oldest friends—books. Before siblings, before playmates, I possessed an entire world of friends on the shelf in my bedroom. The only permissible reason to get out of bed after being tucked in for the night with a book was to exchange it for another from a glinting row of Little Golden Books, each one savored and memorized. Thus, if hurried parents didn’t recite every word, I knew and admonished them, according to my mother, “Don’t turn page until you read all.” Everyone remembers, of course, the first books read on one’s own, and among mine were the Nancy Drew mysteries. The lure of those particular stories, I see now,…

“MY HEART TO YOU IS GIVEN: OH, DO GIVE YOURS TO ME; WE’LL LOCK THEM UP TOGETHER, AND THROW AWAY THE KEY.” —Frederick Saunders Secured with a wisp of silk ribbon, a papiermâché box decorated in the style of a vintage French jewelry store package seems to sparkle in its own right. A nod to bijouterie boxes—small pine containers used to post baubles during the nineteenth century—this contemporary interpretation employs the art of découpage to evoke the charm of timeworn parcels bearing their original tax imprints and wax seals. Stephanie Monahan’s atelier brims with the makings for these romantic keepsakes. Collecting ephemera blossomed into a cottage industry for the proprietress, who masterfully blends nostalgic images with fragments of typography and script to produce stationery imbued with heritage. These lovely pages and other…

In the latter part of the nineteenth century, a trend began in England that would eventually grow to change the way people think about nature and our relationship to it. And it all started with the collectors. A passion for acquiring and displaying natural specimens developed as Great Britain spread an empire across the globe. Travel to far-flung parts of the kingdom resulted in the discovery of rare and exotic species and a lively trade back to England in butterflies, bird eggs, feathers, insects, and even live animals. There was genteel competition among people of means to acquire unique or especially beautiful specimens, and collections were displayed prominently in Victorian homes. Collection cases of fine butterflies were sold at auction by Sotheby’s for more than two hundred pounds sterling—a princely sum! Desire…