And the ebook is #free at all e-retailers. 💕 Enjoy!

Step into history. Dr Johnson’s House is open! 📜 Come in, explore the rooms where the Dictionary was made, and soak up the 18th-century charm. We are open Tuesday - Saturday 11am - 5pm drjohnsonshouse.org/visit

Today we celebrate the birthday of Jean-Henri Riesener – Marie-Antoinette’s favourite cabinetmaker and the genius behind this exquisite fall-front desk. Riesener's craftsmanship is a masterclass in luxury, intimacy and royal taste – furniture fit for a queen, quite literally.

In her memoirs, artist Vigee-Lebrun said of the comte de Provence, whose portrait is depicted here: "He sang more out of tune than any one in the whole world. 'How do you think I sing?' he asked me one day. 'Like a prince, Your Highness,' was my reply."

Look what our visitors have been creating with quill and ink! From quotes to cat doodles, Hodge the cat has inspired some charming tributes. 🐈 🐾 Visit our exhibition 'Desks, Drudgery, and the Dictionary' and try your hand at quill writing. 📜 🖋️ drjohnsonshouse.org/visit

The Stolen Kiss

Happy birthday Sir Joshua Reynolds! These elegant pendant portraits of Lady Elizabeth Seymour-Conway and her sister Frances, Countess of Lincoln, were painted by the celebrated artist in 1781. See our in-depth pages dedicated to Reynolds, at the link in our bio.

The Progress of Love

From the archives of All Things Georgian, '18th century Perfume recipes' - wp.me/p3JTNy-4eP #MondayBlogs #18thc

More than a container for powdered tobacco, this exquisite 18th-century gold snuffbox was a marker of taste, wealth and diplomacy. Originally crafted between 1762-68 by the Parisian goldsmith Drais, panels of blue enamel and pink-toned scenes of playful putti were added later.

And the ebook is #free at all e-retailers 💕

One for my 1700s Shy Hands Pinterest board pin.it/59xI8JFE4

Visit Dr Johnson’s House this weekend! Join us for volunteer-led talk on 18th-century letter writing this Saturday at 2.30pm. Free with admission. drjohnsonshouse.org/visit

The Swing

If you find yourself in the eighteenth-century don't be surprised by Portable Soup. You have come across an early ancestor of today's stock cubes. It is meat broth reduced to a gluey consistency, then further dried. Advertised in 1747 as 'portable gravy soup'. Interesting?

This luminous painting shows Boucher revisiting a world he helped define: the playful, sun-drenched pastoral. See it on display in The Boudoir during your next visit. #FrançoisBoucher #Rococo #WallaceCollection François Boucher, Shepherd and Shepherdess Reposing, 1761

First in series #free at all e-retailers 💕