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Amazon.co.uk Review
Like all good diaries, Adelaide Pountney's The Diary of a Victorian Lady: Scenes from her Daily Life 1864-1865 gives its readers the chance to imagine the life of its author between the lines: the daily round of walks and shopping, "visiting"and churchgoing, home- making and charity work. In addition, Pountney's Diary invites us to dwell in the vivid sketches which illustrate her entries: tiny, but detailed, drawings conjuring the world of a well-to- do Victorian woman.
Recently discovered (in an attic) by her great niece, Pountney's diaries run from 1863 to 1870. A mine of information and images, this edition covers two years while the family was living in Leamington Spa and Devon. Whatever she's doing--shopping for curtains or having her hair cut, buying fish (or fruit or fowl) or having her photograph taken--Adelaide gives it a picture. "Made late by mad bulls," she notes, on March 7, 1864, sketching her flight from a commotion which threatens from the margins of the page. "A man Mama admired" is the (intriguing) caption to the drawing of a solitary figure on May 20: one example of the kind of detail which turns this book into a fascinating document of everyday life. --Vicky Lebeau
Synopsis
Delightful Victorian Diary of 23 year-old Adelaide Pountney, who recorded daily life in a series of magical little cameos.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is truly a unique and wonderful book, I believe without compare. The illustrations alone are beautiful, but it is the insightful daily commentary which becomes increasingly captivating, as one is drawn inexorably into the charming life of the young Adelaide Pountney. Truly a remarkable find.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I bought this because I was fascinated by the take on everyday life in mid-Victorian England. Photographs of this period are very stiff and posed, but in this pictorial diary Adelaide sketched what she saw, just as it was, and her scenes are of everyday life. Hers was a gentle life: no great dramas are portrayed, and it is a diary, so there is no crafted plot. Some days were wet and nothing much happened, so she depicted scenes indoors. I'd always wondered how several ladies managed to sit in a small room wearing crinolines, or exactly what a mid-Victorian drawing room looked like. What were the curtains like? What ornaments lay around? Now I almost feel I have been there! The pictures are just a little bit small,but that, apparently, is how she did them.
A puzzle: her sister married the Reverend Purton, of Bridgnorth, and the same gentleman turns up in another diary of the time, 'Talking with Past Hours'. What a coincidence!Talking With Past Hours: The Victorian Diary of William Fletcher of Bridgnorth
A puzzle: her sister married the Reverend Purton, of Bridgnorth, and the same gentleman turns up in another diary of the time, 'Talking with Past Hours'. What a coincidence!Talking With Past Hours: The Victorian Diary of William Fletcher of Bridgnorth
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This wonderful little book is excellent for those wishing to gain an authentic 'feel' for the life and daily activities of a Victorian upper-class woman. The diary has been reproduced in her original handwriting (this does mean that some of the entries are a little scribbled and difficult to read but on the whole it is clear, and the scribbles only add to the charm and authenticity) and with the beautifully detailed sketches that she drew of her friends, hobbies and general daily life. She did not lead a particularly exciting life and most of the entries are about mundane activities so don't expect tales of her exploits in London society and tales of balls, parties and love affairs, the subtitle is "Scenes from her Daily Life", but do expect an excellent insight into the life and times of a Victorian lady.
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