Laurie Benson's Blog

When I first started reading Regency Romances, one of the first terms I ran across that made me pause was “the ton”. I’m the type of person who enjoys researching things so I searched the internet for the meaning. After I published The Secret Lives of the Ton series, I began to get questions from my family and friends who were also confused by the term. And now that Bridgerton is out, I imagine more of you have questions. So here is the definition, and it doesn’t have to do with a measurement of...

Years ago, when I first started reading historical romance novels, I was confused by British titles. As an American, I had no reference to what a duke was or if an earl was more important than a viscount. If you’ve watched Bridgerton or recently picked up your first historical romance novel, you might be confused too. So I thought I’d give you a very brief “Cliff Notes” version of British titles to help you understand what makes a duke so special.

There are five titles that make up the Briti...

Some days you just need a good distraction. Today was one of those days. To cope, I decided to go through some more photos on my phone and came upon this group from the Downton Abbey exhibition that was in New York City a few years ago. Even though it’s not my usual time period, I still thought you might enjoy this walk back in time for a behind-the-scenes look at the sets and some of the costumes from that iconic television show. So pour yourself your favorite drink, and let’s take a brief...

If there’s one thing that I think prompted my love of history, it was going to see historic homes with my parents when I was a kid. There’s something about walking the same floorboards as people who lived hundreds of years ago that helps bring the past back to life and make it relatable. I’ve been to countless historical homes in my life and, I have to admit, my favorite ones are not the enormous grand palaces, but the more modest structures. Today I’m taking you with me to New Jersey, to a ...

A few years ago, I was visiting The Metropolitan Museum of Art with my friend Catherine when we stumbled upon an unusual piece of art, purely by accident. It was tucked inside a small round room on the bottom floor of the American Wing and as I crossed the threshold, I knew we had discovered something special. It was a panorama, painted in the early 19th century. The wal...

Since I’ve been scrolling through the photos on my phone of museum exhibits that I’ve gone to over the last few years, one thing’s for certain, I really do like looking at historic fashions. My phone is filled with pictures of beautiful gowns that span across centuries and I want to share them with you. Today, I thought we would revisit the Fabric In Fashion exhibit that was held in the Spring of 2019 at The Museum at FIT.

As usual, I’ll be focusing on dresses from the 18th and 19th centurie...

Since I’ve been scrolling through the photos on my phone of museum exhibits that I’ve gone to over the last few years, one thing’s for certain, I really do like looking at historic fashions. My phone is filled with pictures of beautiful gowns that span across centuries and I want to share them with you. Today, I thought we would revisit the Fabric In Fashion exhibit that was held in the Spring of 2019 at The Museum at FIT.

As usual, I’ll be focusing on dresses from the 18th and 19th centurie...

I’m here to take you away to see more of the Visitors to Versailles 1682-1789 exhibit that was held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art a few years ago. And, for the next few minutes, I want to highlight two American men mentioned in the exhibition who traveled to Versailles around the American Revolution and what their experiences might have been like.

For those of you that don’t know, Versailles...

While many of us are stuck at home, it seems like the perfect time to dust off my blog and dive back into sharing my love of history with all of you. Today is International Museum Day, and it saddens me that I have no idea when Ill next step foot into the museums that I love. Since we cant visit any museums at the moment, I thought I bring one to you.

A few years ago, I went to see the Visitors to Versailles 1682-1789 exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art with my friend Virginia. Some of...

There are times you go to research one bit of information and then you get sidetracked by something else. This blog post is a snapshot of an afternoon when I should have been researching the location of my next book but instead, became obsessed with early 19th century dresses.

While browsing Pinterest, I came across this beautiful summer weight gown that’s part of the historical clothing collection at the Museo del Traje in Madrid. I was struck by the very modern look to it and realized that...