Talk: The Modern Venus: Fashion in the 18th Century

Join us for a captivating talk by fashion historian Elisabeth Gernerd, in celebration of her new book The Modern Venus: Dress, Underwear and Accessories in the late 18th-Century Atlantic World, delving into the fascinating world of late eighteenth-century underwear and accessories.  

Prior to the clingy muslin gowns worn by Austen’s heroines, women’s fashion was structured by the underwear worn below and the accessories worn above, shaping them into fantastic serpentine silhouettes.  Though their garments were made of whalebone, linen, silk and gauze, the portrayal of fashionable late-eighteenth century women is best captured not in painted portraiture, but in satirical prints.  This talk explores the eye-catching and often comic depictions of the eighteenth-century’s most extreme fashions and ephemeral trends. 

After the talk, join Elisabeth for tea and cake, chat about late eighteenth-century fashion, and take the opportunity to pick up a signed copy of The Modern Venus! 

Your ticket includes House entry, so you can also pop into the House to see some of the items of dress in the museum collection, including Jane Austen’s muslin shawl and a reproduction of Jane Austen’s silk pelisse coat. 

Details: 

Date:  Saturday 13 July 

Time: 3pm – 4:30pm 

Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us 

Tickets: £15 

🍷 The event will include refreshments including tea or coffee and cake. Please let us know of any dietary requirements upon booking. 

🎫 This event ticket includes House entry. If you wish to visit the House after the talk, please be aware that last entry is at 4.30pm.  

Join us for a fabulous and fascinating talk by acclaimed Austen scholar Dr Juliette Wells, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the opening of Jane Austen’s House. 

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Talk: A New Jane Austen

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of Jane Austen’s House, Dr Juliette Wells shares new discoveries about Americans’ contributions to the site’s renown, from published accounts of visiting Chawton Cottage at the turn of the twentieth century to noteworthy donations of Austen relics to the museum, including the lock of Austen’s hair and the topaz crosses owned by the Austen sisters. 

Juliette Wells is professor of literary studies at Goucher College (USA), and the author of three histories of Austen’s readers and fans, most recently A New Jane Austen: How Americans Brought Us the World’s Greatest Novelist (2023), which centres on visionary writers and collectors who, from the 1880s to the 1980s, advocated for Austen’s literary significance, broadened her readership, and preserved artefacts vital to her legacy.  

After the talk, join us for tea and cake, chat about Austen history, and take the opportunity to pick up a signed copy of A New Jane Austen! 

Your ticket includes House entry, so you can also pop into the House to see some of the objects Juliette describes, including the topaz crosses which are currently on display in our exhibition Mansfield Park: Courting Controversy.  

Details: 

Date: Sunday 14 July  

Time: 2.30 – 4pm 

Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us 

Tickets: £15 

🍷 The event will include refreshments including tea or coffee and cake. Please let us know of any dietary requirements upon booking. 

🎫 This event ticket includes House entry. If you wish to visit the House after the talk, please be aware that last entry is at 4.30pm.  

** SOLD OUT! ** Join us for a joyful afternoon of music and conversation!  

We’ll be joined by Gillian Dooley, the author of She Played and Sang: Jane Austen and Music, who has spent many years researching Jane Austen’s musical world in her books and her sheet music collection, much of which is held at Jane Austen’s House.  

Gillian will join Jane Austen’s House Director Lizzie Dunford for a fascinating discussion about Jane Austen and music, ranging from Gillian’s adventures in investigating the Austen family sheet music collection to links she has found between Jane Austen’s life and work and her musical tastes. 

Moving into the House, Gillian will play and sing some of the songs that Jane Austen is known to have sung. She will also be joined by Christine Morphett who will accompany her on the harp. 

After the performance, join Gillian and Christine for tea and cake, chat about Jane Austen and music, and take the opportunity to pick up a signed copy of She Played and Sang: Jane Austen and Music! 

Your ticket includes House entry, so you can also pop into the House to see one of Jane Austen’s handwritten music books, which is on display in the Vestibule. 

She Played and Sang: Jane Austen and Music, is based on many years of research into Jane Austen’s musical world in her books and in her sheet music collection, much of which is held at Jane Austen’s House. 

She Played and Sang: Jane Austen and Music 

Details: 

Date: Saturday 20 July 

Time: 2pm – 3.30pm 

Location: This event will take place at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us. 

Tickets: £15 

☕ The event will include tea, coffee and cake. Please let us know of any dietary requirements upon booking. 

💭 Capacity for this event will be kept low so that everyone gets a chance to join in the discussion! 

🎟️ Tickets for this event include House entry for this day only. 

💐 This event is part of our Anniversary Festival celebrating the life of Jane Austen, who died in Winchester on 18 July 1817.