‘Tis the Season
by Emma Jane Holloway
Even without airships, scoundrels, and mad inventors, young
ladies of the nineteenth-century had a lot to cope with. They had to endure the
Season.
This event was part of the high-society social calendar,
which was loosely tied to the sittings of the British Parliament. Typically,
dedicated Parliamentarians would return to London from their country houses
sometime early in the New Year, but their families would show up around Easter.
Then, for several glorious months, young men and women would be thrown into
each other’s company in hopes that suitable marriages could be made. Of course,
this only applied to those families with money or titles, preferably both. A
young lady would have several Seasons to find a husband. After that, she was
considered officially on the shelf, and many would have little social or
financial support to call her own.
So, it was with hope and trepidation that a young lady first
entered the marriage mart. The longed-for moment that marked the change from
schoolgirl to young woman came when one was presented to the reigning
monarch—in this case, Queen Victoria. This was an elaborate, invitation-only
ceremony that usually happened around Easter. The importance of the
presentation diminished over the century, but it was meant to be the sign that
a young lady was admitted to Society and was fit to wed a gentleman. The
current crop of debutantes was sure to receive invitations to balls, parties,
and musicales and to be the focus of Society’s attention—and the prettiest (or
richest) would be spoken for by the time the fashionable set retired from
London for shooting parties in August.
As the Season drew near, the Lord Chamberlain carefully
reviewed the list of eligible young women, striking those with any hint of
scandal from the list. An invite was only the first requirement. A debutante
also needed a sponsor, a lady who had herself been presented and could vouch
for a young girl’s character. Usually this was a mother or aunt, but it could
also be a friend of the family.
Outfitting a daughter for the Season could be ruinously
expensive. There would be outfits for balls, visiting, going to the theatre,
and riding, all of which had to be custom-made. There were also special clothes
for the Presentation ceremony itself. The Lord Chamberlain issued a list of
requirements for the proper attire, down to the dimensions of the dress’s
train. There were also coaches who
trained the debutantes in how to conduct themselves during the Presentation and
curtsy for the queen. Apparently there was a trick to withdrawing gracefully
from the Royal Presence without tripping over one’s train.
The Season shifted from London to the countryside once the
weather got hot and then ended altogether when the hunting season began. The
Glorious Twelfth, or August 12, marked the beginning of the grouse shooting.
Anyone who mattered headed to Scotland for this. Then, later in the fall, folks
returned to London for the Little Season—kind of a low-key version of the
springtime festivities—before it was back to the country estates for Christmas.
And then it was the New Year, and the whole cycle began again.
While to us it’s hard to imagine living by such a regimented
calendar of comings and goings, it made sense to the people engaged in it. The
House of Lords required the presence of the aristocracy. Once they were
gathered together, alliances and connections could be forged and strengthened
in a social setting. The economic fabric of the upper classes was maintained by
carefully cultivated marriages. And in a time when the Thames could produce the
Great Stink, it was no wonder the wealthy vacated the city during the hottest
months, only to return once it cooled down again.
For the nobility, this social round was a smoothly operating
clockwork of obligation and connection. For the merchants who supported this
industry, it was a pretty piece of business. For the poor, it was an orgy of shameless
conspicuous consumption.
And for the steampunk author, it is a rich vein of social
history to explore, exploit, and maybe turn on its head in the interests of
grand adventure.
About the Author:
Emma Jane Holloway is the author of The Baskerville Affairs series; A Study in Silks, A Study in Darkness, and A Study in Ashes.
About the Series:
Evelina
Cooper, the niece of the great Sherlock Holmes, is poised to enjoy her first
Season in London’s high society, but there’s a murderer to deal with—not to
mention missing automatons, a sorcerer, and a talking mouse . . .
In
a Victorian era ruled by a Council of ruthless steam barons, mechanical power
is the real monarch, and sorcery the demon enemy of the Empire. Nevertheless,
the most coveted weapon is magic that can run machines—something Evelina has
secretly mastered. But rather than making her fortune, her special talents
could mean death or an eternity as a guest of Her Majesty’s secret
laboratories. What’s a polite young lady to do but mind her manners and pray
she’s never found out?
But
then there’s that murder. As Sherlock Holmes’s niece, Evelina should be able to
find the answers, but she has a lot to learn. And the first decision she has to
make is whether to trust the handsome, clever rake who makes her breath come
faster, or the dashing trick rider who would dare anything for her if she would
only just ask . . .
About Emma Jane:
Further
Discourses Available:
Office
Hours:
Twitter: @EmmaJHolloway
Read the first 50
pages here: http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2013/09/50-page-fridays-emma-jane-holloway.html
Ever
since childhood, Emma Jane Holloway refused to accept that history was nothing
but facts prisoned behind the closed door of time. Why waste a perfectly good
playground coloring within the timelines? Accordingly, her novels are filled
with whimsical impossibilities and the occasional eye-blinking impertinence—but
always in the service of grand adventure.
Struggling between the practical and the artistic—a family
tradition, along with ghosts and a belief in the curative powers of
shortbread—Emma Jane has a degree in literature and job in finance. She lives
in the Pacific Northwest in a house crammed with books, musical instruments,
and half-finished sewing projects. In the meantime, she’s published articles,
essays, short stories, and enough novels to build a fort for her stuffed
hedgehog.
ReplyDeleteAm Spencer Sunshine,from Miami Florida United States.Am here to to testify on how i was initiated into Vampire's cult. At first i had the interest of becoming one because i wanted to live longer and achieve greatness and fame of my own and i was scared of how i can achieve this goal.Along the course,i found this email address (jamessuccessfultemple45@gmail.com) online seeking for those who are interested and i contacted the email address thinking just giving a try to my greatest surprise they made me become one and give me all that i have actually wanted,though some sacrifice and some other things were done for very easily and they gave me vampire dayring that can make me walk any time of the day.Truly this is the revolutionized vampire's cult and am very happy about it.It is happening,for real.In case you too need to be one,i would advice you contact this email address (jamessuccessfultemple45@gmail.com) and get what you want.