The Prince Edward Island Chronicles, Part II: Dalvay By the Sea

**We began this series back in August, 2014 but life - oh, crazy, crazy life! - took over and finishing it went woefully neglected for over a year.  Well, we're back now and ready to resume the chronicle of our (last) summer vacation adventures.  Better late than never, eh?!  If you missed the previous posts in the series recounting our PEI 2014 trip, you can find them here and here.**

It isn't often that you can actually stay at a place that has both hosted royalty and been featured in some of your favorite movies and tv series, but Dalvay-By-the-Sea is one of those unique places.  Best known as the "White Sands Hotel" in the Sullivan Anne of Green Gables movies and on the Road to Avonlea series, historic Dalvay is owned by Parks Canada and operated as a small summer hotel and restaurant.  It is located on Prince Edward Island's beautiful north shore, within the boundaries of Prince Edward Island National Park, which means that the shoreline on which it sits, along with all of the surrounding area, is protected from development, keeping it pristine and looking just like one imagines it must have looked back when the beautiful mansion was built.

The mansion was built in the Queen Anne Revival style, almost entirely out of locally-sourced materials.  The exterior facade and the interior fireplaces, for instance, are all local sandstone, retaining that beautifully distinctive red tint for which PEI soil is so famous.

Dalvay-By-the-Sea's story is a fascinating (and rather sad) tale of an American oil fortune, two high society beauties, and fallen European royalty.  The mansion house was built in 1895-6 by wealthy American businessman Alexander MacDonald, who once served as president of John D. Rockerfeller's Standard Oil Company.  MacDonald was born in Scotland, and PEI immediately impressed him with its charm, natural beauty, and nostalgic reminders of his homeland.  On his first visit to the Island, he purchased 120 acres of land on the north shore on which to build a summer retreat for his family, christening it "Dalvay" in memory of his boyhood home of the same name.  Annual costs to maintain the summer home were reportedly upwards of $10,000 a year.  Much of this went to maintain a large household and groundskeeping staff, who were always on hand to serve not just the family, but the ever-increasing flow of guests who helped to make Dalvay's summer parties so legendary.

MacDonald's only daughter died young, leaving him to raise his two granddaughters, Helena and Laura.  The family enjoyed a number of happy summers on the property until 1910, when MacDonald passed away, leaving the house in trust to his two beloved granddaughters.  Their $15 million inheritance reportedly elevated them to two of the wealthiest young heiresses in pre-WWI worldwide high society.  Both girls made socially brilliant marriages as a result of their new status: Helena married Prince Murat of France, while sister Laura married Italian Prince Rosspiglioisi.

Their massive family fortune remained legally under the management of their father, however, and sadly, poor investments on his part all too quickly decimated the family funds.  Both girls were divorced by their respective spouses after they lost their fortunes.  Laura moved to NY and worked for the remainder of her life to support her two children, and penniless Helena passed away at only 38 from cancer.

With Laura no longer capable of maintaining the vast and remote estate, Dalvay had to be sold.  It passed through a number of hands (at one point, house, furniture, and land were all sold to the caretaker for a mere $486.57, the cost of the back taxes) until 1937, when George Deblois purchased it and then sold the house and property to the Canadian government to be integrated into the newly-established Prince Edward Island National Park.  The house itself is also a Classified Federal Heritage Building.

Dalvay's official history and gallery pages have some really neat historical photographs, if you're interested in seeing what the house and grounds looked like in their heyday around the turn of the century.  Not much has changed, comparatively, and today, images like these of Dalvay in days past are displayed throughout the hotel, so you really get a sense that you're standing in history just by being there.  The lobby also has several large albums available for guests to peruse that are chock-full of photos and press clippings chronicling every aspect of the estate's life and times.

Our room was the only one with a balcony!

On their tour of Canada in 2011 not long after their wedding, Prince William and Kate visited PEI for several days and stayed overnight at Dalvay.  Not a bad honeymoon spot, with views like these from your window every morning!

A view from our balcony, overlooking the grounds.

Dalvay beach, part of Prince Edward Island National Park.

We had grand plans to make ourselves full 1908-1914 wardrobes for this trip (1908 because it's the year Anne of Green Gables was published and 1914 because, well, it seemed the sensible pre-war fashion end date and it was 2014, so...).  All of our source and citation material was compiled and all of the fabric, hats, parasols, shoes, and other materials were acquired and I had started cutting...and sewing...and sewing...and got as far as finishing one hat, (almost) both corsets, and cutting out both of our combinations.  And that was it.  *sigh*

In other words, of course, we bit off way more than we could chew, forgetting how difficult and time-consuming it always is to research and then build an entire outfit from the skin out when you're dealing with an era that's entirely new to you.  So all that dreaming about lounging on the porch of Dalvay sipping tea in a broad-brimmed hat loaded with flowers...and all that scheming about lawn bowling in the shadow of the hotel dressed in 1909 lingerie dresses...yeah.  Didn't happen.  Oh well.  I guess there's just going to have to be a "next time" to take care of all that unfinished business.  Not that we need an excuse, mind you...  ;-)  Anyone else up for a costumed frolick across PEI?!

So in the meantime, here's to dreaming ourselves back in time...

Additional photos can be found in our PEI 2014 album on flickr.

If you're interested in staying at Dalvay, the hotel offers 25 guest rooms within the main mansion house, along with eight three-bedroom cottages on the lakeside.  Both inn and restaurant are open seasonally from June through October.  Reservations can be made by visiting their website.

Going Antiquing at the Booksale

Here in New England, May through October is the traditional season for library booksales.  Many of our regional libraries hold massive sales with hundreds of thousands of volumes, featuring books old and new, on every subject under the sun.  Quite often, they also feature special rare and antique book rooms with treasures that have been priced by local antiquarian book dealers.  Today, we made a bunch of pretty nifty discoveries and came home many pounds heavier for all the books in Ashley's trunk!

By far my most favorite find was an 1853 bound volume of Godey's Lady's Book, which includes all of the original color plates.  If there's sufficient interest, let me know and I can try to start scanning or photographing the issues (or at the very least the plates) and posting them here on the blog. Here's a quick sample:

Another pretty exciting discovery were two early Harper and Brothers printings of Charlotte Bronte's The Professor and Villette.  The Professor is dated 1864 on the title page; Villette is undated, but I'm assuming it must be from about the same time because of the consistent type, layout, and binding.  As you can see, "Currer Bell" is still listed as the author on the title pages of both.

My other thrill was finding two 1953 London newspapers - one The Sunday Times and one the Daily News - covering the coronation of Elizabeth II.  The Daily News paper is a special commemorative issue with loads of neat pictures.

Ashley's highlight of the day was bringing home a 1900 edition of The Jeffersonian Cyclopedia, which collects quotations from Thomas Jefferson on over 9000 topics and arranges them alphabetically to form a catalogue of the president's thoughts.

All in all, a pretty successful booksale day!

(Re-)Making Royal Fashion History, Pt. 2

After reading our post yesterday about Butterick's new Kate Middleton-inspired wedding gown pattern (#B5731), our friend Laurie from Teacups in the Garden alerted us to two additional royal wedding gowns that have been commercially patterned.  The first is Grace Kelly's iconic 1956 gown for her wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco.  The gown was designed by Helen Rose and made by the costume department at MGM, as a gift to the bride from her former studio.  It was reportedly made of 25 yards silk taffeta and almost 100 yards of silk tulle.  Valenciennes rose point lace decorated the bodice and sleeves, and the veil was trimmed with lovebirds in appliquéd lace and embellished with thousands of tiny seed pearls.

Grace Kelly's wedding gown.

Photo linked from fashionbride.wordpress.com.

Vogue has created a lovely Grace Kelly look-alike pattern (#V2979) that closely adheres to the details of the original and successfully captures its old time Hollywood glamour.  That this is a recent pattern release is unsurprising, considering the degree to which Kate Middleton's gown (and her overall sense of style) has been compared to Grace Kelly's.

Grace Kelly in her wedding gown (left), with the Vogue reproduction V2979 on the right.

Photo of Grace Kelly linked from Hollywooddame.com.

Vogue photo linked from Voguepatterns.mccall.com; follow the link to purchase the pattern.

The second pattern Laurie discovered is an old and (alas!) now out-of-print Burda pattern (#7940) for Princess Diana's wedding dress. I wish this was easier to find now because it would be such fun to try to recreate such a fairy tale gown, with the big poofy sleeves and all the lacy frills and bows.  This pattern seems to appear occasionally on ebay and etsy, so check those sites if you're looking for one.  If you'd like to read more about the original gown, visit our earlier post here.

Burda pattern envelope for Princess Diana's wedding dress.

Photo linked from a recent etsy listing.

A big thank you to Laurie for sending us these links and permitting us to share them with you!

And while we're still on the topic, just two final notes.  To complement your reproduction Kate Middleton wedding gown, a reproduction of the diamond Cartier tiara lent to her by the Queen is, of course, an absolute must (because who can resist a tiara?!). This is by far the closet reproduction I've been been able to find (and it's even affordable, too!): click here.  If you'd like to compare it to the original, check out the photos here.

And if you're interested in recreating Kate's sapphire blue Issa engagement dress to add to your royal wardrobe, a combination of Simplicity 2145 (quite obviously inspired by Kate's) and McCalls 5974 should do the trick.  Happy sewing and don't forget to let us see what you create!

(Re-)Making Royal Fashion History

Because we've discussed Kate Middleton's wedding gown at such length and admired and sighed over its details in such depth, I thought it would be fun to share something I just so happened to stumble across yesterday.  Butterick has designed a pattern (#B5731) so that you, too, can make and wear a copy of the Duchess of Cambridge's Sarah Burton/Alexander McQueen wedding gown!  From the photos and line drawings on the pattern envelope, it seems to be a fairly good replica, though they didn't quite capture the clever and oh-so-elegant way the skirts of the original were draped (which was one of my favorite parts of the gown).  And, of course, any recreation won't be able to boast the world-renowned handiwork of the Royal School of Needlework, and few reproductions can incorporate genuine Irish Carrickmacross lace, and I don't think that Butterick notes any of the placement and patterning of the applique lace designs that added such an amazing texture and dimension to the skirts of the original.  But then again, the rest of us wouldn't be marrying a future king in our reproduction gown, so these are tiny details indeed!  So in general, I think they did quite a nice job with the pattern; visit the Edelweiss Patterns blog for a more detailed comparison of the pattern and the original.  If anyone attempts a reproduction using this pattern, we'd love to see your final product and how it turns out!

Kate Middleton's wedding gown (left), with its Butterick (B5731) counterpart.

To purchase the Butterick pattern, click here.

Left photo linked from wallang; Butterick photo (right) linked from the Butterick website.

And for a bit of added fun, Butterick has also released a pattern (#B5710) that closely replicates the style of Phillipa Middleton's bridesmaid's gown and another that copies the adorable dresses of the young flower girls (#BP248)!  Now if we can just convince them to pattern some of the other historic royal wedding gowns...  :-)

A Royal Display from "that" Special Day

The Duchess of Cambridge's Sarah Burton/Alexander McQueen wedding gown,

currently on display in the regal surroundings of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace.

Photo linked from the British Monarchy flickr stream.

Today, the Duchess of Cambridge got a new perspective on some of her last memories as Kate Middleton.  Side by side with Queen Elizabeth, she toured a new display that will open tomorrow at Buckingham Palace and which will be a featured part of the Palace's Summer Opening public touring season.  "The Royal Wedding: A Story of Great British Design" features the Duchess's now-iconic Sarah Burton/Alexander McQueen wedding gown, along with her veil and shoes.  It also showcases the stunning jewels worn for the occasion: the Cartier "Halo" tiara lent by the Queen, and the earrings given to the bride as a wedding gift from her parents.  A reproduction of the bridal bouquet and the wedding cake - yes, the real thing, still mostly intact! - complete the royal display commemorating "the" wedding of a generation.

Royal Collection curator Caroline de Guitaut arranges the train of the wedding gown.

Photo linked from ABCNews.com.

By far the best thing about this exhibit - made even more thrilling because it can be fully enjoyed even by those of us who live across the pond and are too far to be able to go! - is the tremendous and unprecedented amount of detail the Royal Collection offers online about the gown and the other items from the display.  At long last, we have photos that allow us a very fine and up-close look at the incredibly intricate craftsmanship that makes this simple yet elegant gown such a landmark creation of British fashion.  Be sure to check out the zoomable photos of the gown (and that lace, oh that lace) on the gown detail page, and don't miss the podcast with Royal Collection curator Caroline de Guitaut, which not only includes a fascinating discussion of the gown's design, but also a supplemental set of photos with even more views of this special piece of royal fashion history.  The podcast is a treasure in itself, well worth the time.

Detail of the gorgeous lace-covered bodice of the wedding gown.

Photo linked from ABCNews.com.

Additional photos of the gown and other pieces can be found on the official British Monarchy photostream on flickr and on ABCNews.com.

Admission to the exhibit is included with the ticket to the Buckingham Palace State Rooms and can be purchased online.  The Summer Opening begins tomorrow and extends through the 3rd of October.  Further information can be found on the Royal Collection website, and the press release about the exhibit can be viewed here.

"Married in white, you have chosen all right," Pt. 2

Surprisingly little has been written or discussed about the details of the wedding ensemble of the new Duchess of Cambridge.  Our friend Laurie of Teacups Among the Fabric and Teacups in the Garden just did a fantastic post about the gown and its incredible connection to traditional British needlework and the royal and historic fashions of the past, but other than her post and the obligatory gushing-in-the-most-general-terms being done by various fashion gurus, interest in a genuine analysis of the gown's details seems to be minimal.  In view of this discovery, and to formally inaugurate Catherine into the line of royal brides and bridal wear we profiled earlier, here is on overview of the newest history-making gown and its ravishing accessories.

The official wedding portrait.

Photo linked from the official British Monarchy flickr page.

Designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, the gown was made of ivory and white satin gazar (a tightly-woven semi-sheer organza-like fabric).  The bodice, skirt, and train were embellished with an intricate design formed of English and French Chantilly lace, meticulously hand-cut and hand-appliqued onto ivory silk tulle using traditional Irish Carrickmacross lace-making techniques.  The Royal School of Needlework, which preserves the needle arts of the past through its teaching initiatives and textile restoration projects, performed the delicate work, skillfully interweaving roses, thistles, shamrocks, and daffodils into a stunning white-on-white design that gives the gown's skirts a depth and richness subtly evocative of the elaborate embroidery that has often decorated royal ceremonial and formal dress of the past.  The choice of flowers was, of course, highly symbolic.  The union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is represented by each nation's national flower: the English rose, the Scottish thistle, the Irish shamrock, and the Welsh daffodil.  It was a beautiful design gesture, one strong historic union literally embodied in a new union of bride and groom, themselves future leaders of the United Kingdom.  I've desperately tried to trace some close-up shots of the detail work on the gown, but have thus far been unsuccessful.  If anyone has located any, please do let me know! 

The best shot I can find where the applique detail is slightly visible.

Be sure to click on the link to bring you to the larger version!

Photo linked from HuffingtonPost.com.

This press release by the Royal School of Needlework describes the process undertaken by the team to create the royal wedding gown.  It's fascinating; hands were washed every thirty minutes, needles changed every three hours, and no thread longer than thirty cm were used to help preserve the integrity of the delicate fabric and the appliqued laces.  There is no mention of the size of the team or the length of time it took to complete the work, but it must have been a truly extraordinary project in which to take part.  If you'd like to learn more about the RSN (and trust me, you do!), be certain to check out this video.  Many thanks to Laurie for sharing it!

The silhouette of the impeccably tailored gown.

The incredible detail of the embroidery is also visible here.

Photo linked from the official British Monarchy flickr page.

The nearly nine-foot train was in perfect proportion to the setting, the occasion, the gown, and its understated elegant style.  Like the gown's skirts, the train too was hand-embroidered with the same floral design.  It was joined to the back of the skirts with oh-so-cleverly draped folds that echo the bustle of a Victorian gown.  The gown's lightly padded hips also helped create a Victorian-inspired silhouette, emphasizing Catherine's narrow waist and helping to provide body and form to the beautifully arranged pleats of the gown's skirts.

Photo from HuffingtonPost.com.

Like many royal brides that have gone before her, Catherine carried sprigs of myrtle in her bouquet.  The myrtle was taken from a plant grown from a sprig that the present Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) held in her own bouquet at her wedding in 1947.  Queen Victoria's eldest daughter was the first royal bride to include myrtle in her bouquet; the plant for her represented not only marriage and bridal innocence, but more personally the relationship between her parents, Victoria and Albert.  Catherine's bouquet further emphasized the traditional language of flowers in its inclusion of lilies of the valley (return of happiness), hyacinth (the constancy of love), Sweet William (well, that's obvious...but it also represents gallantry), and ivy (affection and fidelity).

All of these details - and more! - can be found in this post from the official Royal Wedding website.  The post also provides information about the gown worn by Catherine's sister Phillipa, the bridesmaids' dresses, and the pages' uniforms, so be sure to take a look!

A stunning close-up of the lace-covered bodice

of the gown, and the Cartier Scroll/"halo" tiara.

Photo linked from the official British Monarchy flickr page.

The veil of ivory silk tulle, edged with hand-embroidered flowers was secure by a tiara lent to Catherine by The Queen.  Known as the "scroll" or "halo" tiara, it was made by Cartier and given as a gift to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (then the Duchess of York) by her husband King George VI (then Duke of York) in 1936, just three weeks before Edward VIII renounced the throne in favor of his younger brother.  The Queen Mother gave the tiara to her eldest daughter, the present Queen, to mark Princess Elizabeth's eighteenth birthday.  The Queen has occasionally lent it to members of her family, including Princess Anne and Princess Margaret, for special occasions.

The scroll or halo tiara, made by Cartier in 1936.

Photo linked from Aestheticus Rex.

If you missed any of the festivities (or would like to see them again!), highlights can be seen on the official Royal Wedding website and the full BBC broadcast can be viewed on the official Royal Channel on YouTube.  The BBC will also be releasing a DVD of the day's events later this month.  Additional photos of the day can been found on the official British Monarchy flickr page.

And one more, just because it's my favorite shot from the day.  That veil

was draped perfectly and I love the way the wind has caught it here

so that you can see the hand-embroidered detail along the edges..

Photo linked from RoyalWedding.aol.com.

The Royal Wedding Countdown Begins!

For those of you feeling the royal frenzy as the hours tick down to tomorrow morning, here are a couple wedding necessities, in case you've missed them:

- The official Royal Wedding website provides some great details, videos, and updates, including the official program for the ceremony and the procession to follow.

The cover of the official wedding program,

linked from the official Royal Wedding website.

- In this age of multi-media, you've got a choice as to how and where to catch your glimpse of the ceremony.  For those "traditionalists" (like us!) who prefer the television screen to the computer screen, the wedding will be broadcast live States-side by a number of television networks.  Both PBS and BBC America will host a simulcast of BBC One programming, beginning at 3am Eastern.  ABC begins their live coverage of the event at 4am Eastern.  And for those of you who prefer the "modern" method of watching the big day, the BBC will stream their coverage live online.  Youtube's Royal Channel will also be streaming live, as will ABC. 

- As a lovely complement to our previous post on British royal wedding gowns of the past, the BBC recently posted a slideshow on their website, which offers another glimpse of some of these stunning pieces of history worn by the fashion icons of days gone by.  Another fun page, also posted by the BBC, is this fascinating overview of eight royal weddings, full of fun little tidbits of trivia including everything from what they ate to the various controversies surrounding each day, to some of the memorable gifts each royal couple received.

So let's take a poll: who else plans to be up at 4am tomorrow?  "See" you then!  :-)

The Tiaras of Queen Victoria

In honor of Friday's royal nuptials (and my fondness for Queen Victoria), here's a look at some of the elegant tiaras that graced the head of Britain's longest reigning monarch. Queen Victoria's collection of jewels was massive; as Queen, Empress of India, and ruler of an empire over which the sun famously never set, Victoria amassed an unrivaled set of precious jewels and stones from across the world. Some of these have been integrated into the Crown Jewels and are thus the perpetual property of the people of Great Britain, while others were the personal property of Victoria and Albert and have been passed down through the various branches of their very large and extended family. That family, of course, includes the present Queen Elizabeth II, who is often seen wearing one of these stunning pieces of history.

1) The Oriental Circlet, 1853

Photo linked from coloreddiamond.info.

This ruby and diamond tiara, made by Garrard's, was designed by Prince Albert for his wife.  Originally, the rubies were opals, which were Albert's favorite stone (and one of mine as well!), but Queen Alexandra later replaced them with rubies that had been given to Victoria in 1873.  The design, which includes lotus flowers and Moghul arches, was inspired by the Indian jewellry gifted to Queen Victoria during the Great Exhibition of 1851.  The circlet was passed down through Victoria's family line and was one of the Queen Mother's favorites.  It is currently owned by the Queen, who still wears it on occassion.


2) The Emerald and Diamond Tiara, 1845

Photo linked from The Anglophile blog.

This tiara (more appropriately a diadem) is part of a set which also includes earrings and two brooches.  All were designed by Prince Albert in the Gothic revival style popular during the period.  The set was produced by Joseph Kitching in 1845 and Albert allegedly paid a total of £1,150 for it.  In 1846, Victoria wrote in her diary, ""My beloved one gave me such a lovely unexpected present - a wreath, going right around the head, made to match the brooch and earrings he gave me at Christmas."

The Royal Family (1846), by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.

Image linked from the Royal Collection website.

Detail of the above painting, showing the emerald and diamond

tiara, along with the matching earrings and brooches.

The current owner and location of this tiara are unknown.


3) The Diamond and Sapphire Tiara, 1842

Photo linked from The Royal Forum.

Another Gothic-revival-inspired design by Prince Albert, this tiara features diamonds set in silver and kite- and cushion-shaped sapphires set in gold.  It cost the Prince Consort £415 when he commissioned it in 1842.  It was later given as a gift to the Princess Royal by her mother Queen Victoria, and then passed down through the family over the years.  It is now currently owned by the Earl and Countess of Harewood.

Queen Victoria (1842), by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.

Image linked from the Royal Collection website.

Detail of the above painting, showing a close-up of the diamond

and sapphire diadem, worn at the back of the head.

And one honorable mention: the "Girls of Great Britain and Ireland" tiara, 1893

Photo linked from GoldenAgedRegina blog.

Even though this piece was not worn or even gifted by Queen Victoria, I have to include it here anyway because it's my favorite of all the British royal tiaras.  This tiara was a wedding present to Princess May of Teck when she married Victoria's grandson; she became Queen Mary when her husband came to the throne as George V and she was thus the present Queen's grandmother.  The tiara is named for the group of women who collected a total of five thousand pounds to contribute this unforgettable gift to their future Queen Consort.  Made by Garrard's of diamonds mounted on silver, the tiara originally featured pearl finials, which Queen Mary later replaced with diamonds. 

Queen Mary with the "Girls of Great Britain and Ireland" tiara.

Photo linked from Golden Aged Regina blog.

"Granny's tiara" was later given by Queen Mary as a wedding present to her granddaughter Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) to celebrate her wedding in 1947.  Though Elizabeth chose the stunning fringe tiara for her special day instead, she has frequently worn her grandmother's piece for formal and state occassions throughout her reign.  And if you think it looks a little familiar, you're right: this is the tiara featured in the Queen portrait on British currency!

The Queen wearing the tiara, her favorite.

Photo linked from The Daily Mail.

So which one is your favorite?  And who else besides me is getting out her tiara for Friday morning's celebration?  :-)

For more on the British royal weddings of the past, be sure to check out our earlier post.  And for more on the tiaras of the British and European royal families, see this great "Tiara-pedia" on Mad Hattery.

Printed Sources featuring some of these tiaras:
- Tiaras: Past and Present, by Geoffrey Munn - This book is a re-release of the exhibit catalogue for "Tiaras," an exhibition staged at the V&A in 2002; it includes photos of several of the tiaras profiled above, with loads of stunning detail shots.
- Tiaras: A History of Splendor, by Geoffrey Munn - I'm honestly not sure how this book relates to the one above, other than that it's four times as long.  I personally have not seen a copy, though I'm sorely tempted to buy one now...!
- The Queen's Jewels: The Personal Collection of Elizabeth II, by Leslie Field - While most accounts of British royal jewels focus on the Crown Jewels, this one is unique in that it offers a rare glimpse at the personal, privately-owned collection of the Queen.