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Joseph Farington (and his diary) [ Art and Literature / Diaries & Letters / Communication ]

… London from 1793-1821. Nonetheless, it is striking that, while the Diary records a great deal of information – indeed ‘gossip’ - it seems as if this is of a rather distinctive character and suggests that a different sociability existed … men than among women. People > Art and Literature Objects > Diaries & Letters Practices > Communication Keywords Diaries Gossip Gender Art Conventions Between 1978 and 1984, Yale University Press published a 16-volume edition of the diary of … of acquaintance. Reading Farington’s diary today, the word that springs to mind to describe much of its content is ‘gossip’. It seems clear that he spent a lot of time talking about and writing up reports of other people’s behavior, …

Tea-table [ Furniture & Interior decoration / Rituals & Ceremonies / Eating & Drinking ]

… both men and women, occasioned by the consumption of tea, and typically characterized as focused on conversation and gossip. Objects > Furniture & Interior decoration Practices > Rituals & Ceremonies Practices > Eating & Drinking Keywords Tea Tea-table Polite sociability Public sphere Domesticity Conversation Gossip The tea-table is an object, an event, and an idea: that is to say, it is at once an item of furniture, a gathering … in discussion about topics that mattered (moral philosophy, political events, religion, criticism) as well as gossip and rumour. Repeated representations of the tea-table in the early eighteenth century dwell on these aspects of …

Essay periodical [ Reading & Writing / Communication / Literary & Artistic genres / Taste & Manners ]

… essays, combined entertainment and moral didacticism. It included literary and aesthetic conversation, as opposed to gossip.  The   Free-Thinker  (1718-1721), a bi-weekly essay paper coedited by the poet Ambrose Philips and a circle of … enforcing harmonious sociability. The journals often mixed genuine letters and forged ones ;  The   Spectator  banned gossip and personal satire 5  while  The   Free-Thinker  fixed the rules of controversy and debates by forbidding …

West End of London [ Cities / Institutions ]

… Its high prices maintained exclusivity. As well as music it was a space for courtship, for flirting and, above all, for gossip. People would move between boxes which were a site for female sociability: patronesses used the space to exert … house on St James's Street in 1693. It became a centre for masculine company but also for gambling, drinking and gossip. It was followed by Boodle's which was established on St. James's Street in 1762, catering particularly for …

Dress [ Clothing & Fashion / Taste & Manners ]

… sociability. A person’s dress was used to establish rank, cement social relationships, generate friendship and social gossip, and even indicate political allegiance. The wealth and competitive elegance involved in fashionable dress in …

Pleasure gardens [ Sports & Leisure ]

… music shows, to bowling, fireworks and even animal fights – but also played an active role in activities and trends like gossip and fashion, reflecting varied cultural phenomena such as taste, companionship or being on display. Providing …