Kirsty Stonell Walker

LATEST ARTICLES ( 627 )

• Review: Charlotte Bronte's Devotee

  

  One of the funniest parts of the Harry Potter Studio Tour is when you see a video of the (then) very junior assistant at Warner Bros talk about taking home the... Read more

  Posted on 03 September 2019 CULTURE

• Book News! Light and Love

  

  This is the sort of post I adore writing because it is to do with a forthcoming book. For a while now I have been working on my research on Mary Hillier, maid... Read more

  Posted on 28 August 2019 CULTURE

• Flappers Travel Fast

  

  We'll begin today slightly earlier than normal, but then we finish up in the 1930s so it all balances out. Anyway, today's ramble-y post starts in 1773, and... Read more

  Posted on 21 August 2019 CULTURE

• Dropping in on Tennyson (again) (properly This Time)

  

  Those of you who have read this blog for a while might be able to cast your minds back to 2014 (when we were all so young and beautiful) when I wrote a post on... Read more

  Posted on 17 August 2019 CULTURE

• Looking for Mrs Donkin's Cook

  

  It is no secret that I love knowing the identities and lives of models. Often, the lives of the models surpasses that of the artist in terms of ups and downs,... Read more

  Posted on 16 July 2019 CULTURE

• Review: Queen Victoria and the Men Who Loved Her

  

  As you might recall back in 2014, Robert Parry published a book of biographical sketches of Queen Elizabeth I (reviewed here) and now I have the pleasure of... Read more

  Posted on 03 July 2019 CULTURE

• Review: Black Americans in Victorian Britain

  

  I'm sure a good number of you own the catalogue from the 2005 exhibition Black Victorians and have marvelled at the number of people of colour that populate... Read more

  Posted on 28 June 2019 CULTURE

• Clementina Margaret Hull

  

  Today's post is by way of gathering some research in one place to help others. The subject of this post is Clementina Margaret Hull, a now-forgotten... Read more

  Posted on 19 June 2019 CULTURE

• Review: A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion and Beauty

  

  I'm not one for women's magazines. I never really enjoyed reading what was in fashion or whether flats or heels are more attractive or whether a cream that cost... Read more

  Posted on 29 May 2019 CULTURE

• At Last, The Love School!

  

  It is a shocking oversight on my part to have been born too late to enjoy the BBC's 1975 Pre-Raphaelite drama The Love School. Read more

  Posted on 20 April 2019 CULTURE

• Review: The Doll Factory

  

  As you will no doubt remember, back in February last year The Doll Factory, the debut novel of Elizabeth Macneal, was the subject of much hub-bub after it was... Read more

  Posted on 14 April 2019 CULTURE

• Folly and Learning Often Dwell Together

  

  Now and then I see a painting which so grabs me with its dense symbolism that I have to sit and unpick it. We all enjoy being grabbed by the dense symbolism... Read more

  Posted on 05 April 2019 CULTURE

• Review: The Secret Son of Dante Gabriel Rossetti

  

  As you will know, I'm no stranger to family history. As I often refer to in these posts, my family's past is filled with unexpected happenings, and I also take... Read more

  Posted on 30 March 2019 CULTURE

• Review: The Women Who Inspired London Art

  

  Over Christmas I was sent some lovely books to review. The first is The Women Who Inspired London Art, an exploration of models of the early 20th century, most... Read more

  Posted on 12 February 2019 CULTURE

• Monday 24th December: All the Un-Researched Ladies...

  

  Just to misquote Beyonce, this is a shout out to all my Un-researched Ladies. When thinking about this year's Blogvent, I started compiling a long list of... Read more

  Posted on 24 December 2018 CULTURE

• Sunday 23rd December: Marianne Shingles

  

  Busy day today - when I was a little girl, the highlight of every Christmas was when we would drive down to my Grandma's house (in a village not far from our... Read more

  Posted on 23 December 2018 CULTURE

• Saturday 22nd December: Eugenie Sellers Strong

  

  Today's post is brought to you courtesy of my other job. When I am not fighting my way out of a pile of Pre-Raphaelite books I am actually wrestling with books... Read more

  Posted on 22 December 2018 CULTURE

• Friday 21st December: Edith Ramage

  

  Almost at the end of Blogvent now and for the shortest day I thought I'd bring you one of the littlest models, who will be very familiar to you... Read more

  Posted on 21 December 2018 CULTURE

• Thursday 20th December: Tryphena Foord

  

  Today I shall be brief and cheery for a change. Christmas can be stressful and in the current political climate there doesn't really feel like there is much to... Read more

  Posted on 20 December 2018 CULTURE

• Wednesday 19th December: Alice Russell Scott

  

  Whilst looking at the account in John Guille Millais' biography of his father of John Everett Millais painting Esther yesterday, I kept reading. Read more

  Posted on 19 December 2018 CULTURE