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Mrs. Hurst Dancing: And Other Scenes From Regency Life, 1812-1823
The seventy pictures reproduced here were painted by Diana Sperling between the years 1812 and 1823. Diana—or Di as she was known in the family—was born in 1791 and until her marriage in about 1834 she lived with her parents, brothers and sister at Dynes Hall near Halstead in Essex. Many young ladies could boast of drawing as an accomplishment, but unlike most of them Di Sperling was an amateur artist of considerable skill. Her paintings are a delight. In a charmingly informal manner, she depicts the daily events in the lives of her family and friends: donkey races, riding parties, acting charades, hanging wallpaper. Diana also had a wicked sense of humour, and unerring eye for some else's bad luck, and if her sister Isabella rolled from her donkey (which she frequently did) or brother Harry tumbled off his colt, this too was recorded with hilarious accuracy.
Diana's paintings have a wonderful freshness, a humour, a sense of fun and sheer joie de vivre, but they also form a unique social document. They show us the way Jane Austen's characters would have lived and they bring to us a glimpse of country life in Regency England.
Description from book cover.
Diana's paintings have a wonderful freshness, a humour, a sense of fun and sheer joie de vivre, but they also form a unique social document. They show us the way Jane Austen's characters would have lived and they bring to us a glimpse of country life in Regency England.
Description from book cover.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 30, 2020
Oh, what a joy! Make sure you read the introduction for a window into the author/artist’s life. I knew some of what young misses were expected to accomplish but not everything.
Then on to the sketches. From what I understand, the plates were watercolours with a brief description of what occurred. The carpets, animals, dresses and jackets were in some ways primitive and other ways, rich. Tall hats and cottage bonnets, donkeys (!) and lawn games were part of everyday life. Oftentimes, the size of people and animals was improbable, but I admired the drawings for what they were.
Just imagine, no cameras or proper lighting; the artist was totally dependent on her memory. One of my favorites was “Returning from a dinner party at Night”. The clothes, the ghostly grey horse in the background and was that five girls seated in the cart? The muted blue-grey night sky and yellow stars. Or perhaps, birds in the late evening. I wasn’t sure but it engaged my imagination.
Or how about, “The temple of the Waters!”? Picking berries with her dog, Fairy, and a very unusual looking bonfire. The browns, blacks, caramels and creams felt soothing. Honestly, now that I look back, I don’t have a favorite. I loved the majority of them.
As for the descriptions, I enjoyed the interesting word building. A spot of bother. Standsted Mountfitchet. Ice skates originally made from polished bone. Mendicants. The homely task of swatting flies. The electrifying machine. A recipe for lavender water. A sad looking horse named Sappho. Falling into a creek or pond referred to as “getting a wetting”. Servants feeding pigeons that provide the sport for a later date.
And, lastly, an interesting postscript.
Then on to the sketches. From what I understand, the plates were watercolours with a brief description of what occurred. The carpets, animals, dresses and jackets were in some ways primitive and other ways, rich. Tall hats and cottage bonnets, donkeys (!) and lawn games were part of everyday life. Oftentimes, the size of people and animals was improbable, but I admired the drawings for what they were.
Just imagine, no cameras or proper lighting; the artist was totally dependent on her memory. One of my favorites was “Returning from a dinner party at Night”. The clothes, the ghostly grey horse in the background and was that five girls seated in the cart? The muted blue-grey night sky and yellow stars. Or perhaps, birds in the late evening. I wasn’t sure but it engaged my imagination.
Or how about, “The temple of the Waters!”? Picking berries with her dog, Fairy, and a very unusual looking bonfire. The browns, blacks, caramels and creams felt soothing. Honestly, now that I look back, I don’t have a favorite. I loved the majority of them.
As for the descriptions, I enjoyed the interesting word building. A spot of bother. Standsted Mountfitchet. Ice skates originally made from polished bone. Mendicants. The homely task of swatting flies. The electrifying machine. A recipe for lavender water. A sad looking horse named Sappho. Falling into a creek or pond referred to as “getting a wetting”. Servants feeding pigeons that provide the sport for a later date.
And, lastly, an interesting postscript.
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June 9, 2014I am listing this under 'journal' though it was a series of sketches by Diana Sperling, a young lady living during the Regency period.
It's a fascinating look at the details of everyday life, and how she saw herself and her contemporaries--how they wanted to be seen.
In the early paintings, one never sees girls' faces, only their plain bonnets, but as she got older, not only did the bonnets turn into young ladies' hats, but peeps of faces peek out.
The details inside houses are especially interesting, but all the paintings are charming.
It's a fascinating look at the details of everyday life, and how she saw herself and her contemporaries--how they wanted to be seen.
In the early paintings, one never sees girls' faces, only their plain bonnets, but as she got older, not only did the bonnets turn into young ladies' hats, but peeps of faces peek out.
The details inside houses are especially interesting, but all the paintings are charming.
March 9, 2020
I'm giving this five stars for the illustrations, which are a glimpse into Regency life that you don't often get, for they're watercolors done by a young lady of the lesser gentry. The accompanying text did have some major errors, though, particularly pretty adamantly identifying a square pianoforte as a harpsichord in 1816 (the pianoforte had long since supplanted the harpsichord having done so pretty rapidly at the end of the 18th century). There were a couple others, but not enough to impact my enjoyment of the paintings themselves.
July 3, 2014
Diana Sperling's water colors, executed in the second decade of the 19th century, and chronicalling the doings of her family, are amateurish but charming. What I loved is that she clearly has a sense of humor; it seems as though every time a family member took a tumble from a horse or slipped in the mud, Diana couldn't wait to get home to record it for posterity. I particulary liked a painting of her mother and a maid engaged in swatting flies. This resonated because one of my favorite personal family photos is one I took of my mother and my sister doing the very same thing -- in a very different setting but with the same spirit of detirmined ferocity characterising the enterprise. One can't help seeing Diana as a kindred spirit.
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October 21, 2012It's like looking into a time machine to see the world of Jane Austen. Between 1812 and 1923, Diana Sperling filled two sketchbooks with scenes from her life in the minor gentry. This book reproduces her watercolors in their original full size, with text by Gordon Mingay putting them into context. It's a charming and informative book.
January 18, 2014
This book is full of sketches and paintings done by Diana Sperling of her family and friends between 1812 and 1823. It's fascinating to see her life and times through her eyes. Her paintings also have a wonderful sense of humor to them.
March 19, 2023
For fans of the series Bridgerton and of Jane Austen: a delightful series of 1812-23 watercolors done by Miss Diana Sperling documenting family life at Dynes Hall. Her work displays vibrant colors, youthful spirits and humor, and some unexpected subjects: a bucking donkey, a wasp's nest being burned out, calamities like slippery grass, as well as domestic scenes. I quite enjoyed Diana's light, amused approach to life.
This 1981 hardcover book is a real treat, with a foreword by Elizabeth Longford. It lacks background information on the family and estate, which was fun to look up. Diana lived from 1781 to 1862, and married late in life. Dynes Hall was an estate of 500 acres in Great Maplestead, Essex, on the edge of the Suffolk border. And, the dancing Mrs. Hurst lived nearby in Newport Pagnell.
This 1981 hardcover book is a real treat, with a foreword by Elizabeth Longford. It lacks background information on the family and estate, which was fun to look up. Diana lived from 1781 to 1862, and married late in life. Dynes Hall was an estate of 500 acres in Great Maplestead, Essex, on the edge of the Suffolk border. And, the dancing Mrs. Hurst lived nearby in Newport Pagnell.
July 30, 2018
This book is a treasure for a regency romance author. While not on a par with the masters, Ms. Sperling's works in watercolor are delightfully detailed, in many cases with great precision. The wonderful, ordinary events depicted give us remarkable insight into what life in a country village for the gentry was like. Ms. Sperling's illustrations are filled with humor and whimsy--such fun. You don't need to be an author to appreciate this wonderful little book. I only wish there were more of the artist's works to be appreciated. (A note says she did leave an additional volume of watercolors, but they are, alas, not published.) I'll be revisiting this one for sure.
October 20, 2019
A delightful look at Regency country life through the paintings of Diana Sperling, a young woman of the country gentry. This includes rather more horse/donkey riding mishaps than I expected (poor Isabella!) and also includes Regency spider squishing and many other interesting interludes. Miss Sperling had a great eye and a great sense of humor!
I don't remember where exactly I saw this referenced (99% sure it was a Jane Austen thing I read sometime in the past year), but I'm so glad I made a note of it and finally remembered to request it from the library. Highly recommended for all fans of the Regency Era!
I don't remember where exactly I saw this referenced (99% sure it was a Jane Austen thing I read sometime in the past year), but I'm so glad I made a note of it and finally remembered to request it from the library. Highly recommended for all fans of the Regency Era!
October 15, 2017
Incredibly beautiful watercolor paintings of every-day upper-class life. Window into a world that is 200 years old through the eyes of a mischievous young woman who liked to wear red capes. Brings Jane Austin's books to life.
September 15, 2018
I didn’t personally like the style of the paintings. However it was a fascinating look at Regency life.
June 7, 2020
An absolute delight.
September 10, 2020
Charming, with some value as a reference resource for Regency fans.
April 13, 2022
So charming!
June 23, 2023
Such fun art and a fantastic resource of contemporary work!
August 12, 2023
Truly delightful sketches from a Regency lady.
February 21, 2017
A wonderful collection of watercolours made by a lady of the gentry class in the years between 1812 and 1823. these lovely pictures show that members of the gentry led quite active lives - we see Diana and her friends and family engaged in all sorts of activities, like gardening, fishing, bowling, playing battledore and shuttlecock, falling off horses, getting stuck in the mud while out walking etc. Some of the drawigs were give amusing captions by Miss Sperling. For instance a picture of her mother killing flies is captioned "Mrs Sperling murdering flies - assisted by her maid who received the dead ad wounded." Another one is titlted Mum teaching her hopeful son a step." This is a fascinating glimpse into regency life which shows a world full of activity and amusing mishaps - absolutely delightful.
July 29, 2013
A delightful look into the private like of a failry well-to-do country family in England during the Regency.
The watercolors are a family album of a goup of parents, siblings and spouses, who, on the one hand have a faily easy life, while on the other hand, still have to deal with being without the kinds of civil liberties and technology that we take so for granted these days.
June 26, 2010
This book is full of sketches and paintings done by Diana Sperling of her family and friends between 1812 and 1823. It's fascinating to see her life and times through her eyes. Her paintings also have a wonderful sense of humor to them.
January 7, 2016
Lovely book! The watercolors are beautifully done and the figures in them are delightful.
I appreciate the notes included by the editor - they add context and are so interesting.
I appreciate the notes included by the editor - they add context and are so interesting.
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September 19, 2014942.00973 S749 1981
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews