Tuesday 1 December 2009

'Tis the season to be jolly.........


‘Tis the season to be jolly.....................
and so I created two mosaics of some of my favourite ruby red Christmas tree baubles to share
with everyone at Mary's Ruby Tuesday @ Work of the Poet, Tam's 3 or more Tuesday @ The Gypsy's Corner and Susan's Deck the Halls Party which is beginning today @ Thoughts From Over The Rainbow.

For many years I have used a Christmas List Book, which I bought during a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, to keep a record of cards and gifts; given and received, festive decorations; where & what, shopping lists and menu’s ; what worked, what didn’t!
The book contains many wonderful Victorian Christmas illustrations and verses and I shall be sharing them with you all during December.

The Victoria and Albert Tree
In 1846, the popular Royals, Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert, were illustrated in the Illustrated London News. They were standing with their children around a Christmas Tree. Unlike the previous Royal family, Victoria was very popular with her subjects, and what was done at Court immediately became fashionable - not only in Britain, but with fashion-conscious East Coast American Society. The English Christmas Tree had arrived!
Decorations were still of a 'home-made' variety. Young Ladies spent hours at Christmas Crafts, quilling snowflakes and stars, sewing little pouches for secret gifts and paper baskets with sugared almonds in them. Small bead decorations, fine drawn out silver tinsel came from Germany together with beautiful Angels to sit at the top of the tree. Candles were often placed into wooden hoops for safety.
Mid-Victorian Tree
In 1850's Lauscha began to produce fancy shaped glass bead garlands for the trees, and short garlands made from necklace 'bugles' and beads. These were readily available in Germany but not produced in sufficient quantities to export to Britain. The Rauschgoldengel was a common sight. Literally, 'Tingled-angel', bought from the Thuringian Christmas markets, and dressed in pure gilded tin.
The 1860's English Tree had become more innovative than the delicate trees of earlier decades. Small toys were popularly hung on the branches, but still most gifts were placed on the table under the tree.
Source: The Christmas Archives.

23 comments:

  1. what a fabulous & informative post..those baubles look good enough to eat!

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  2. Oh so very pretty, and lots to learn here.

    Happy Tuesday....my Ruby entry is also holiday--a continuation of one I did several weeks ago...it's finished now, and decorating our mantle!! come see HERE

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  3. Christmas is just around the corner!
    Love your baubles!
    happy RT!
    come and visit my Tueday if you have the time!
    life's beautiful!

    xoxo

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  4. Wonderful post, Maggie. Love the new look and the red baubles are just marvelous. After coffee, I will post my Tuesday Christmas.

    Carol

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  5. Nice post with pics...puts you in the holiday spirit!
    Living it up at Lakewood,
    Cindy

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  6. Christmas tree baubles
    of scarlet and red—baubles
    for joy not for dread!

    My Ruby Tuesday

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  7. What a great post -- I'm glad you'll be sharing more of the book with us during December! Love your red ornaments.

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  8. What a wonderful post Maggie.And I love your red baubles.

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  9. Oh boy I'm ready! great Post, Love the ornaments. Happy RT

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  10. I love those red ornaments - they look like candy! I'll look forward to more from your book - illustrations and the snippets of history that I so enjoy.
    The redbird on your header reminds me to pop into the bookstore today to find the redbird Christmas book!

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  11. Love the red ornaments...thanks for sharing them! Hope you have a great week!

    Blessings,
    Linda

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  12. Beautiful ornaments, so rich in colour. And thanks for the information on Victoria and Albert's family Christmas. I love historical details that bring characters to life.

    Lorrie

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  13. Some of the most interesting vintage ornaments and cards I have seen have come from Germany.

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  14. Interesting. I wonder if any of those trees ever went on fire with the candles on them:) yikees!
    Joyce

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  15. Maggie, those ruby ornaments look good enough to eat. They are truly stunning! Love the idea of sharing from you little book throughout the month. I used to keep a book myself, but have no idea where it is now.
    Wet and cold here, so I'm beginning to get into the spirit of decorating for this holiday. Hugs ~ Sarah

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  16. Very interesting post, Maggie. I loved it. And I love the illustrations of the Victorian family around the tree.

    xoxo
    Jane

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  17. Lovely! Thanks for such a colorful and interesting post, Maggie!

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  18. Love the deep, rich reds of your ornaments.

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  19. The mosaics of the ruby red ornaments are gorgeous...
    Great informative post!

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  20. What a wonderful post - I love the victorian girl with the letter and your burgundy red ornaments are beautiful.

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  21. Hi Maggie..what beautiful Christmas ornaments....love the deep color of the red...hope the weather has cleared up...that storm you had sounded pretty nasty....Sue.

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  22. Thanks for all that lovely Victorian history Maggie - what a lot we have to thank amazing queen for over her long, long reign.

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Thanks for stopping by, your visit just made my day!