Born in 1796, Princess Charlotte of Wales was the only child and heir presumptive of the Prince Regent, later King George IV. With the direct line dependent on this single thread, and her father’s brothers either unwed or childless, the royal matchmakers were out in force as soon as she approached adulthood. In 1814 an initial engagement to the Prince of Orange, heir to the throne of the Netherlands, came to nothing but in its February 1816 issue, the popular ladies’ magazine, La Belle Assemblée, chose as the subject of its series Biographical Sketches of Illustrious and Distinguished Characters, a German princeling, Leopold George Christian, Prince of Saxe-Cobourg.
Unusually, the article was not accompanied by a portrait of the prince but of Princess Charlotte and the editors lost no time in coming to the point. We are to present our readers with a demi-official announcement of a proposed alliance which, it is said, will be instantly submitted for the approval of Parliament. It is confidently stated that a matrimonial arrangement has actually taken place, in behalf of the presumptive heiress of the British throne, on the one part,—and a Prince of the house of Saxe-Cobourg on the other.
The remainder of the article was devoted to the prince’s antecedents— the house of Saxe Saalfeld Coburg is one of the most ancient and illustrious in Germany—, tracing his descent from Charles, Duke of Lorraine, sixth in descent from Charlemagne and concluding with a brief description of Cobourg itself, while also affirming that the protestant cause has still met with staunch supporters in that illustrious house. 

 Royal Wedding Fever had broken out. In the March issue, we are presented with the Saxe-Cobourg Robe for Evening Full Dress (above).  The robe (the pink overdress) is worn over a white satin slip flounced with crape and finished with blond. The headdress is described as a bridal veil, fastened with a brooch of pearl and pink topazes. Also popular this month are the Cobourg hat, formed of the finest whalebone transparently white, and  the Leopold turban of white satin, formed in front like the Neapolitan cap, with a large, flat feather declining backwards. None of this items had anything to do with the national dress of the Cobourg inhabitants (right) but, then as now, a royal connection could only be beneficial to a dress designer.

​The April issue of the magazine opens with a biographical sketch of the bridegroom accompanied by a portrait engraved by special permission from a Drawing made purposely for this work from the very fine Bust modelled at the express desire of Government, by P Turnerelli, Esq. and which is not only considered as an exquisite production of art, but also a most excellent portrait similitude of the illustrious original. A fine work it may be, but it certainly suggests that he is much older than twenty-six!

The date of the wedding was 2 May. ​In its May issue, La Belle Assemblée first regales its readers with a plate of the Cobourg Walking Dress and Oatlands Hat (below)-an allusion to the happy couple's honeymoon destination of  Oatlands’ Palace in Surrey). 

But that is not all. The editor continues: As we have been gratified with a sight of the wedding dresses of this amiable and illustrious female, a particular yet concise account of them cannot but be acceptable to our fair readers. The Royal Bride, happy in obtaining him whom her heart had selected, and whom consenting friends had approved, wore on her countenance that tranquil and chastened joy which a female so situated could not fail to experience. Her fine, fair hair, elegantly yet simply arranged, owed more to its natural, beautiful wave than to the art of the friseur. It was crowned with a most superb wreath of brilliants, forming rose-buds with their leaves.
There followed detailed descriptions not only of the bridal dress, but also of nine further dresses made on this happy occasion as well as a travelling dress of white corded silk with a white satin pelisse trimmed with ermine and an elegant white satin hat ornamented with blond [lace] and a beautiful plume of white feathers.
The Cobourgs, as they came to be called, returned to town for the Drawing-Room held by her Majesty on 16 May to receive the congratulations on the marriage of her Royal Grand-daughter with Prince Leopold. It was, La Belle Assemblée tells us, one of the most splendid assemblages of royalty, nobility, beauty, and fashion that has ever been witnessed in this kingdom. Over ten-and-a-half-pages, the magazine lists the attendees and the presentations before describing the dresses of the royal family and selected members of the nobility and gentry. 

The couple married not in a church or chapel but in the crimson drawing room at Carlton House, the London Residence of the Prince Regent, shortly after nine p.m. on the evening of 2 May 1816. Rather oddly, the magazine’s description of the ceremony comes last; It is included in its Monthly Miscellany, where two pages are devoted to it. The crowd was particularly great from Charing-cross to the neighbourhood of Carlton House and the Queen’s Palace [Buckingham Palace] we are told, where the Princess dined and dressed. Later, the Queen and the Princesses Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary and Sophia of Gloucester travelled in two carriages to Carlton House, escorted by a party of life guards. The crowd in the Park exceeded all description. The great crimson room…..had been previously fitted up for the occasion with a temporary altar and other items from the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace.     The whole of the foreign ambassadors and ministers were specifically invited…….to enable them to report the same to their different courts. Apart from members of the royal family and the foreign ambassadors, the Dukes of Orleans and Bourbon and the great officers of the household were present. Her Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte advanced to the altar with much steadiness and went through the ceremony with great clearness, so as to be heard distinctly by every person present. The Prince Leopold was not heard so distinctly. Following a round of congratulations, the bride and bridegroom retired arm in arm, and soon after set off for Oatlands, which they reached at ten minutes before twelve.

The June issue opens with a portrait of the bridal couple returning from the altar, paired with the wish that this charming Princess and her illustrious partner may long continue to enjoy that delightful union of sentiment, and that unchanging love which they pledged at the altar. And may the silken and flowery bands of Hymen be every succeeding hour more firmly entwined by the strong and indissoluble ties of mutual constancy and increased esteem.
However, fickle fashion has already moved on. The fashion plates are for British Walking Dress and Parisian Promenade Hats, with no mention of the Cobourgs. 

Apart from the extremely purple prose, the magazine's coverage of the royal wedding was very similar to that of today. The main difference in the celebrations between then and now, I think, is the private nature of the  ceremony itself. There was no walk down the aisle of a packed church to a bridegroom waiting impatiently at the altar. As with so many other traditions, this appears to have originated with Queen Victoria in 1840 who arrived in a procession of carriages from Buckingham Palace to the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace for her marriage to Prince Albert, incidentally the nephew of our Prince Leopold, by now King of the Belgians, who acted as matchmaker.

 Henry and Maria have let the sun go down on their anger. Dawn does not bring any improvement. If you have just stumbled upon Henry's and Maria's story, I suggest you click on The Matrimonial Ladder in the sidebar and scroll down to Part One.

Desperation
Breakfast renews the quarrels of my fable,
She spoils the tea, and he upsets the table.
All patience lost, no power can peace impart,
Only in one thing they are agreed_to part.

Unfortunately we are not shown what happens next, but it looks as if their parents got together. 

Reconciliation
Now for a Kiss!—long as our absence,
Sweet as—our return
​

Our author does not leave us without an epilogue.

​O happy they, the happiest of their kind
Whom gentler stars unite, & in one fate,
Their hearts, their fortunes & their beings blend.
 
Rarely’s a Rose without a Thorn,
To all our shares some stinging Nettles fall,
ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL.
 

But I am not sure that the author is convinced of his motto, for he finishes with the images from the title pages, as if to remind us that this is a cautionary tale.

NB
Nought but Love can answer Love
And render Bliss secure.
Moral!
Always look before you leap
For as you sow, you’re like to reap.
​

MATRIMONIAL LADDER
or
Such Things are
“So they ripe and ripe!
And rot, and rot!!
And hereby hangs a tale!!
 
“ ‘Tis true, tis pity
And pity ‘tis,—‘tis true—!!!”

And so we come to the end of our story. It casts an interesting light on the Regency view of romantic love. Is Henry a civilian Wickham (Pride and Prejudice) do you think, or just immature? Will Henry and Maria be able to develop a reasonable relationship or are they condemned to live beside rather than with each other for the rest of their marriage?
I think this tale was written for girls, warning them not to fall victim to a smooth-talking suitor. What do you think?
​

Welcome to Episode 3 of The Matrimonial Ladder, a rare Regency proto-graphic novel first published in 1825. If you have not yet read Parts 1 & 2, I suggest you click on The Matrimonial Ladder in the sidebar and scroll down to read from the beginning.
Last week, we left Henry and Maria on their honeymoon. The gilt was already beginning to wear off the gingerbread. Now they have set up house together, but they don't look very happy.

Alteration
No more a social walk the morn employs
A greasy novel constitutes her joys
​

​Alteration
While he poor soul condemned alone to saunter
Dines with some friend & empties his decanter.
 

This cannot end well.

Irritation
Returned at eve, unnumbered queries wait him,
And she who loved so late appears to hate him;
From trifles light as air, the quarrel swells,
The husband bullies and the wife rebels.
​

​Disputation
Fierce and more fierce, the wordy contest grows,
Taunts, gibes and sneers, and every thing but blows;
Each to a separate couch in rage retires,
Whence sleep is banished by vexatious fire.

Is there any hope for them? Tune in next week for our final episode. To be sure not to miss it, please subscribe to my newsletter or like my Facebook author page fb.me/catherinekullmannauthor to be kept informed.

 Welcome to Episode 2 of The Matrimonial Ladder, a rare Regency proto-graphic novel first published in 1825. If you have not yet read Part 1, I suggest you click on The Matrimonial Ladder in the sidebar and scroll down to it first.
Last week, we left Henry declaring his interest to Maria. But she hesitates.

Henry is not daunted   He persists and his suit is finally successful.

Acceptation
Joy in his lips and rapture on his tongue,
On neat red tape his various parchments strung,
See Henry bears the mystic circlet high,
Which bids hope’s tide flow strong, his terrors fly.

And so to church. But the author sounds an ominous note.

And indeed it does not bode well for poor Maria.

 
Possession
Her Honeymoon and raptures fled together,
Behold a rural walk in dirty weather,
The stile is slippery but in vain the dame
Sues for that aid which once unasked for came.

And how will it be once they have returned home?

If you want to be sure you do not miss an episode of this entertaining story, please subscribe to my newsletter or 'like' my Facebook author page fb.me/catherinekullmannauthor to be kept informed.

In transcribing the text, I have kept to the original with its varied spellings etc.

To mark the anniversary of the publication of my debut novel The Murmur of Masks last July, I am sharing with you a real regency rarity from my library. The Matrimonial Ladder, a humorous if sardonic, glance at love and marriage was published in 1825. Text and illustrations were etched on metal plates, then each page was printed and hand-coloured individually. I hope you enjoy following the story of Henry and Maria which I shall  publish in instalments over the next weeks.

Title Page: The ladder in question is a double one. The steps on the left are garlanded with roses, a heart is suspended from the apex and the right-hand, downward steps are bare. A cupid lies on the ground beneath, with the caption Love Lies Sprawling.

A GIFT FOR ALL SEASONS
 
Love Lies Sprawling
MATRIMONIAL LADDER
or
Such Things are
 
Drawn by M. E. Esq.
 
“So they ripe and ripe!
And rot, and rot!!
And hereby hangs a tale!!
 
“ ‘Tis true, tis pity
And pity ‘tis,—‘tis true—!!!”

 OR
PRESENT OF FRIENDSHIP
NB
Nought but Love can answer Love
And render Bliss secure.
Moral!
Always look before you leap
For as you sow, you’re like to reap.

Admiration
 
While grateful Maria leads the gay Quadrille,
What new sensations Henry’s bosom fill.
An introduction gained, the youth advances
And hopes she’s disengaged the two next dances.

 Flirtation
 
The suit obtained, they tread the mazy round,
At length fatigued, a seat’s convenient found.
Henry assiduous plies the glittering fan,
And proves himself a very nice young man.

Approbation
 
With favouring smile the fair one hears his prattle,
Sips lemonade and vows he’s quite a rattle,
Then as new raptures rise in every glace,
Exclaims, “I think we’d better join the dance”.

Declaration
Next morn he calls—the custom’s very old,
To hope the lady has not taken cold.
Thinks she looks charmingly in dishabille,
And tells what pangs his stricken bosom fill.

My goodness! Things are moving very fast, aren't they? Check in again next week to see how Henry and Maria are getting on. If you want to be sure you do not miss an episode of this entertaining story, you might like to subscribe to my newsletter or like my Facebook author page fb.me/catherinekullmannauthor to be kept informed.

The history of book illustration stretches far back into antiquity. From the earliest illustrated scrolls via the splendid illuminated manuscripts of the middle ages to today’s sumptuous photo books, ornamentation and images have added an extra dimension to the pleasure of reading for over two millennia. With the rise of the English novel in the eighteenth century, publishers began to include engravings, frequently just a frontispiece, in their volumes. Soon they started to issue special, illustrated limited editions of successful novels such as Richardson’s Pamela (left).


By the end of the century, mechanical improvements made the printing of engravings much cheaper and a huge market had developed for all sorts of prints, including caricatures, especially hand-coloured ones. In 1815, David Robarts, a former officer who had served in the Peninsular War, published a satirical poem The Military Adventures of Johnny Newcome. It was embellished with fifteen coloured sketches by T Rowlandson, a leading artist and caricaturist of the day. Where previous illustrations had been straightforward, black and white depictions of pivotal scenes, Rowlandson matched his drawings to Robarts’ satire. Here we see our hero present the trophies from the Peninsula to the Prince Regent.

Johnny Newcome was hugely successful and immediately imitated. The Adventures of a Post-Captain, of 1817 had twenty-five characteristic engravings by Mr Williams. The illustrations are highly dramatic and instead of a caption the relevant quotation is printed beneath each picture. In some cases this is dialogue and we begin to see the marriage of text and image.   Below, the gallant captain restores Fair Ellen, who was abducted by the Moors, to her aged father. The text reads:
Then sudden starting from his stare/ He cry'd "where is my daughter-where?"
Here!" Ellen cry'd-"banish all fear!/ "Your happy, long-lost girl is here!

It was not long until the Johnny Newcome spin-offs had exhausted the military and naval possibilities. In 1820, Pierce Egan published Life in London, or the Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorne, Esq., and his Elegant Friend, Corinthian Tom, accompanied by Bob Logic, the Oxonian in their Rambles and Sprees Through the Metropolis. The entertaining adventures of Tom and Jerry were embellished with thirty-six scenes from real life, designed and etched by I R and G Cruikshank with a graphic style that reminds us of later comics. At the top, you see Tom, watched by Jerry, Getting the best of a Charley or upsetting the box of a night-watchman.
  Life in London was another best-seller and, as with Johnny Newcome, it was quickly succeeded by a series of books looking to capitalize on Egan’s success. Foremost among these was Real Life in London, described as by An Amateur but later ascribed to Egan.  Below: Ascot Races - Tom and Bob winning the long odds from a knowing one.

However, although the proportion of illustrations to text increases constantly, we do not yet have the union of text and picture that marks the true comic or graphic story. But we are getting there. In 1825, Thos. McLean of London published The Matrimonial Ladder, with a subtitle of Love Lies Sprawling. Drawn by M. E. Esq, in eighteen full-page illustrations, each with an accompanying verse, it casts a sardonic eye on the romance of  Henry and Maria. A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to find a copy at an antique book fair. Here is a detail from the title page.

To mark the first anniversary of the publication of my debut novel The Murmur of Masks, I have decided to share this post-Regency gem with fans of the era and will post the plates and text on my blog over the coming weeks.

I shall post a link to each blog on my Facebook page fb.me/catherinekullmannauthor. To be kept informed of new posts, you can 'like' the page  or alternatively subscribe to my newsletter on the home page of this website.