I purchased a really fun chair--an 18th century George III wingback with exaggerated wings. The curves of the wings, seen from any angle, really makes this a wonderful chair. So now my project is--what fabric do I select? I could use it in 3 different living/family rooms. Colors that would go are likely to be a neutral cream/tan, blue, or red.. The 3 rooms could be one that has a country french yellow toile drape in it, a family room with brown la declaration drapes, and a living room with a coral sofa, blue would be great in there. Finding an old chair made me wonder what it may have been upholstered with originally. After hunting around, I found a reference Judith Miller made in one of her antique guides. She says that originally these chairs were upholstered in grospoint or petitpont needlepoint. So I started my hunt for pictures of what a wingback chair from the 1700's would have looked like. There's a website called Furniturestyles.com that had this example. (See link below to read more) Furniturestyles.com This beauty is on Ist Dibs - (click on the link to view ad.). Interesting floral pattern. Sort of a Jacobean influence? Ist Dibs Chair $18,000 Another wonderful example with large bold flowers: George II Walnut Chair, circa 1730. Christies More of those wonderful bold flowers. I went to my favorite website for pictures, Liveauctioneers (yes I got permission, ok to use if I put in a link), and found this --and subsequently went to the Bonhams website. Again, a lovely floral needlepoint. Fantastic chair from a Bonhams auction - photo Liveauctioneers.com So I checked out a few English antique websites and found more floral needlepoints. I'm assuming that the backs may be replaced? Wakelin-Linfield Antiques had this chair. They said it is a George I period chair with most of it's original needlepoint A 1750's chair with later 1800's needlepoint. Notice the background color is different from the other examples. Not liking that. At auction. A GEORGE I WALNUT AND NEEDLEWORK-COVERED WING ARMCHAIR CIRCA 1715 - ($62,500) Christies. Hmm. An interesting departure from the other florals. I thought that I'd check out what museums have, and found this at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. -- An American chair. I totally love this back. The front is interesting, a geometric patten. Date: 1758. I find that fascinating. Fantastic needlepoint on the back of a chair, dated Newport 1758 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Front of 1758 Chair at the Metropolitan Museum of Art The back reminds me of a needlepoint sofa-back - I'd just love having something like this. Don't you just love this. Here's another to die for chair with a price tag equivalent to a few houses in Iowa: Christies Auction Nov 2010 Sold for $113,000 From the Christies catalog: A GEORGE I WALNUT WING ARMCHAIR CIRCA 1720 With associated gros and petit point needlework, the back with a panel depicting a maiden by a well, surrounded by trailing foliage and flowers, the sides and back with plain cotton, on shell carved cabriole legs with pad feet and leather castors, some reworking to the needlework, the back seat-rail replaced, restorations to the ears of back legs Check out the detailed stitching. Below: A GEORGE I WALNUT WING ARMCHAIR CIRCA 1720 Upholstered in associated 18th century close-nailed gros and petit-point floral needlework, the back and seat depicting classical figures, on cabriole legs with pad feet Christies Auction Nov 2010 $55,000 Here's one in an upcoming auction. I have to say this is what I think most motifs are, although most of what you see is floral, I suspect that many I see in my price range (ok, not in my range, but ones I am able to see) may be later than 18th century. Christies Nov 2011 Auction A GEORGE II MAHOGANY WING ARMCHAIR MID 18TH CENTURY With associated 18th century figural needlework covering, the back legs later and oak... ANYONE READING want to buy me a christmas present? !! Judith Miller said most of the antique chairs would be figural or I assume she meant like these scenic. I do love the huge flowers. Given the age of these pieces, can you imagine how bright the chairs really were? If you think about the times, I'd like to sit by the fire, curtains pulled, dark rooms, most likely, to stay warm in the winter. A bright color would be needed, don't you think? So now that I've seen all these fabulous examples, needlepoint that is only 100 years old just doesn't have the same look: This French chair with needlepoint looks like a later design. It is circa 1900 from http://www.oldplank.com So how has the design community reacted to wonderful old needlepoints and tapestries? We get stuff like this. YUK in my book after seing so many wonderful antique pieces. From Liveauctioneers. Don't do this fabric. There is another option: Crewel fabric. The chair below is probably the type of crewel that is available. Chair from auction, probably not antique. If you decide to go crewel, set the bar high. Using a colorful crewel is definitely the way to go. Often times the crewel is only used on the inside of the wing chair--I assume to save money as you can spend upwards of $500/yard for some of this stuff. http://pontysporch.blogspot.com Read her fun article on wingbacks. I spotted this on Ebay, one of my favorite dealers who carries textiles has this in her house: She is spot on, having found a wonderful tree-of -life crewel fabric. Don't you just love how the pattern fits on this chair? Wonderful! I would love to find something like this for my chair! from a favorite eBay dealer: rivervalleytextiles. Click here to read her bio, and read about this project. (Check out her listings, she has the prettiest pictures. Plus she gives you great tips on care and collecting of textiles.) Chelsea textiles makes a dynamite option $510/yard wholesale. OK, so I don't have any connections to get crewel on the cheap, haha. So what other fabrics are an option? After checking out all those wonderful English chairs, I thought I should check out what you see on American chairs. I immediately thought of Colonial Homes, and how you saw two things: plaids or damasks. Talk about two extremes. Both are really strong statements, I think... Here are two plaid examples: This is actually more historically correct--most of the chairs did not have a cushion, and if it did, it was a thin cushion. Another example of a blue plaid chair. Probably more historically correct - no bottom cushion, according to other reading. Then I read that they sat on plump pillows. HMMM, this is confusing. What do you think?. (FLAT CUSHION DIVERSION) Here's another chair with that flat cushion. This chair is interesting--it has the flat cushion. The photo is a bit blurry-- I can't really tell if it is a tapestry or chinoiserie fabric. Bonhams auction So I checked out alot of photos on historic wingbacks in the U.S. There are alot of beautiful chairs at Winterthur, the White House, and Blair House --it seems as though damask is what is used on these expensive chairs. I looked around on the internet, and found these beautiful chairs. Interesting UK website Isn't the chair above really awesome looking? I think the yellow fabric really looks the best, but I am pretty gutless when it comes to using yellow. Coral would work better for me than yellow. The same website has all kinds of interesting wingbacks. I thought it would give me a good visual of what a pattern damask would look like. Interesting channel back. I like the soft colors. Cut velvet is something that is actually "antique". Of course if I do cut velvet, only $500/yard (guess) Lee Jofa will do. Le Notre from Lee Jofa But what if it winds up looking like grandma's velvet from the 60's? OK, back to damasks. Killer green chair. But how would it look in a room? I really love many shades of green, but this one I think would whack me over the head when I walked into a room. Ist Dibs I actually love this bright chair. Great pattern. I think the damask pattern needs to dominate the back, don't you? These chairs are so big, it needs a big pattern. Ist Dibs I thought about blue. This one is too baby blue, I'm thinking an indigo blue. However, I am showing this one because I like the large cartouche on the chair back, works for me. Or you could go conservative cream: A fabulous period chair. Very formal. Ist Dibs Of course, my version would be less pricey than $30,000 liveauctioneers OK, another rule, give up the arm covers. I have never liked them. No, I don't care if the chair gets dirty. The big problem with damask is that the "authentic" looking stuff is silk. I am way past doing chairs in silk, unless they're a little chair that I'm just going to look at, and never sit on. (had to qualify that) For those who were looking for wingbacks, and got stuck reading my blog, I'll throw in some current chairs on the market, that aren't museum repros breaking the bank: Hollyhock has this one: I don't think I'm in a "busy pattern" mood. Could be fun in the right room. Jacobean fabric. I always like the free flowing vines on Jacobean fabrics. Chair on http://assemblageltd.com Below is one from Anthropologie. It made me think, toile! So of course I had to grab a Charles Faudree book and see what he likes. Plaid -hmmm. Country French? or too early American? Pierre Frey Petit Parc fabric. A nice rich bold color. Look no further than the front cover of Charles Faudree's book. I think this is a Groves Bros fabric. I sent away for samples. I don't really like all toiles. I'm not really liking the chair below, I don't know why it seems flat to me. apartmenttherapy.com Red or blue would work very well as an option for my chair. This pattern below is lovely, very Fortuny-like. A nice large pattern works best on such a large chair--don't go for a wimpy cartouche! Not sure if I like the look.............. Bright red pattern. The larger the pattern, the better. Aspire Auctions I do like this red pattern better............. So what would you do. My chair is like the one above. I'm getting fabric samples. Stay tuned. Feel free to chime in on opinions. I'm just so paranoid after the 80's and people putting huge floral patterns on everything...but I don't want plain linen, don't want country check, don't think I want velvet, saving that for the moss green upholstery job on the sofa. I wish there was something out there that has the feel of the fabulous old needlepoints, but it doesn't seem to exist. I would love that! What would you pick?

A glimpse into the mental illness that afflicted King George III — the monarch who was known as the “Mad King” and has been immortalized in Broadway’s Hamilton — has been shared by Buckingham Palace. In the latest publication of the papers concerning King George III, who ruled from 1760 until 1820, medical records show how much the king was subject to intense monitoring of everything from his sleep (from 30-minute naps to a full seven hours at night) to how he had to be placed into a

This Day In History: September 22, 1761 “Born and educated in this country, I glory in the name of Britain” – George III George III, one of England’s most illustrious monarchs, was crowned King at the age of 22 on September 22, 1761. He ascended the throne almost a year earlier when his grandfather, George II, died (on the toilet [...]

George III, Benjamin West , 1783, Cleveland Museum of Art: American Painting and Sculpture King George III commissioned more than 80 paintings from West, including this portrait that celebrates his…

I purchased a really fun chair--an 18th century George III wingback with exaggerated wings. The curves of the wings, seen from any angle, really makes this a wonderful chair. So now my project is--what fabric do I select? I could use it in 3 different living/family rooms. Colors that would go are likely to be a neutral cream/tan, blue, or red.. The 3 rooms could be one that has a country french yellow toile drape in it, a family room with brown la declaration drapes, and a living room with a coral sofa, blue would be great in there. Finding an old chair made me wonder what it may have been upholstered with originally. After hunting around, I found a reference Judith Miller made in one of her antique guides. She says that originally these chairs were upholstered in grospoint or petitpont needlepoint. So I started my hunt for pictures of what a wingback chair from the 1700's would have looked like. There's a website called Furniturestyles.com that had this example. (See link below to read more) Furniturestyles.com This beauty is on Ist Dibs - (click on the link to view ad.). Interesting floral pattern. Sort of a Jacobean influence? Ist Dibs Chair $18,000 Another wonderful example with large bold flowers: George II Walnut Chair, circa 1730. Christies More of those wonderful bold flowers. I went to my favorite website for pictures, Liveauctioneers (yes I got permission, ok to use if I put in a link), and found this --and subsequently went to the Bonhams website. Again, a lovely floral needlepoint. Fantastic chair from a Bonhams auction - photo Liveauctioneers.com So I checked out a few English antique websites and found more floral needlepoints. I'm assuming that the backs may be replaced? Wakelin-Linfield Antiques had this chair. They said it is a George I period chair with most of it's original needlepoint A 1750's chair with later 1800's needlepoint. Notice the background color is different from the other examples. Not liking that. At auction. A GEORGE I WALNUT AND NEEDLEWORK-COVERED WING ARMCHAIR CIRCA 1715 - ($62,500) Christies. Hmm. An interesting departure from the other florals. I thought that I'd check out what museums have, and found this at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. -- An American chair. I totally love this back. The front is interesting, a geometric patten. Date: 1758. I find that fascinating. Fantastic needlepoint on the back of a chair, dated Newport 1758 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Front of 1758 Chair at the Metropolitan Museum of Art The back reminds me of a needlepoint sofa-back - I'd just love having something like this. Don't you just love this. Here's another to die for chair with a price tag equivalent to a few houses in Iowa: Christies Auction Nov 2010 Sold for $113,000 From the Christies catalog: A GEORGE I WALNUT WING ARMCHAIR CIRCA 1720 With associated gros and petit point needlework, the back with a panel depicting a maiden by a well, surrounded by trailing foliage and flowers, the sides and back with plain cotton, on shell carved cabriole legs with pad feet and leather castors, some reworking to the needlework, the back seat-rail replaced, restorations to the ears of back legs Check out the detailed stitching. Below: A GEORGE I WALNUT WING ARMCHAIR CIRCA 1720 Upholstered in associated 18th century close-nailed gros and petit-point floral needlework, the back and seat depicting classical figures, on cabriole legs with pad feet Christies Auction Nov 2010 $55,000 Here's one in an upcoming auction. I have to say this is what I think most motifs are, although most of what you see is floral, I suspect that many I see in my price range (ok, not in my range, but ones I am able to see) may be later than 18th century. Christies Nov 2011 Auction A GEORGE II MAHOGANY WING ARMCHAIR MID 18TH CENTURY With associated 18th century figural needlework covering, the back legs later and oak... ANYONE READING want to buy me a christmas present? !! Judith Miller said most of the antique chairs would be figural or I assume she meant like these scenic. I do love the huge flowers. Given the age of these pieces, can you imagine how bright the chairs really were? If you think about the times, I'd like to sit by the fire, curtains pulled, dark rooms, most likely, to stay warm in the winter. A bright color would be needed, don't you think? So now that I've seen all these fabulous examples, needlepoint that is only 100 years old just doesn't have the same look: This French chair with needlepoint looks like a later design. It is circa 1900 from http://www.oldplank.com So how has the design community reacted to wonderful old needlepoints and tapestries? We get stuff like this. YUK in my book after seing so many wonderful antique pieces. From Liveauctioneers. Don't do this fabric. There is another option: Crewel fabric. The chair below is probably the type of crewel that is available. Chair from auction, probably not antique. If you decide to go crewel, set the bar high. Using a colorful crewel is definitely the way to go. Often times the crewel is only used on the inside of the wing chair--I assume to save money as you can spend upwards of $500/yard for some of this stuff. http://pontysporch.blogspot.com Read her fun article on wingbacks. I spotted this on Ebay, one of my favorite dealers who carries textiles has this in her house: She is spot on, having found a wonderful tree-of -life crewel fabric. Don't you just love how the pattern fits on this chair? Wonderful! I would love to find something like this for my chair! from a favorite eBay dealer: rivervalleytextiles. Click here to read her bio, and read about this project. (Check out her listings, she has the prettiest pictures. Plus she gives you great tips on care and collecting of textiles.) Chelsea textiles makes a dynamite option $510/yard wholesale. OK, so I don't have any connections to get crewel on the cheap, haha. So what other fabrics are an option? After checking out all those wonderful English chairs, I thought I should check out what you see on American chairs. I immediately thought of Colonial Homes, and how you saw two things: plaids or damasks. Talk about two extremes. Both are really strong statements, I think... Here are two plaid examples: This is actually more historically correct--most of the chairs did not have a cushion, and if it did, it was a thin cushion. Another example of a blue plaid chair. Probably more historically correct - no bottom cushion, according to other reading. Then I read that they sat on plump pillows. HMMM, this is confusing. What do you think?. (FLAT CUSHION DIVERSION) Here's another chair with that flat cushion. This chair is interesting--it has the flat cushion. The photo is a bit blurry-- I can't really tell if it is a tapestry or chinoiserie fabric. Bonhams auction So I checked out alot of photos on historic wingbacks in the U.S. There are alot of beautiful chairs at Winterthur, the White House, and Blair House --it seems as though damask is what is used on these expensive chairs. I looked around on the internet, and found these beautiful chairs. Interesting UK website Isn't the chair above really awesome looking? I think the yellow fabric really looks the best, but I am pretty gutless when it comes to using yellow. Coral would work better for me than yellow. The same website has all kinds of interesting wingbacks. I thought it would give me a good visual of what a pattern damask would look like. Interesting channel back. I like the soft colors. Cut velvet is something that is actually "antique". Of course if I do cut velvet, only $500/yard (guess) Lee Jofa will do. Le Notre from Lee Jofa But what if it winds up looking like grandma's velvet from the 60's? OK, back to damasks. Killer green chair. But how would it look in a room? I really love many shades of green, but this one I think would whack me over the head when I walked into a room. Ist Dibs I actually love this bright chair. Great pattern. I think the damask pattern needs to dominate the back, don't you? These chairs are so big, it needs a big pattern. Ist Dibs I thought about blue. This one is too baby blue, I'm thinking an indigo blue. However, I am showing this one because I like the large cartouche on the chair back, works for me. Or you could go conservative cream: A fabulous period chair. Very formal. Ist Dibs Of course, my version would be less pricey than $30,000 liveauctioneers OK, another rule, give up the arm covers. I have never liked them. No, I don't care if the chair gets dirty. The big problem with damask is that the "authentic" looking stuff is silk. I am way past doing chairs in silk, unless they're a little chair that I'm just going to look at, and never sit on. (had to qualify that) For those who were looking for wingbacks, and got stuck reading my blog, I'll throw in some current chairs on the market, that aren't museum repros breaking the bank: Hollyhock has this one: I don't think I'm in a "busy pattern" mood. Could be fun in the right room. Jacobean fabric. I always like the free flowing vines on Jacobean fabrics. Chair on http://assemblageltd.com Below is one from Anthropologie. It made me think, toile! So of course I had to grab a Charles Faudree book and see what he likes. Plaid -hmmm. Country French? or too early American? Pierre Frey Petit Parc fabric. A nice rich bold color. Look no further than the front cover of Charles Faudree's book. I think this is a Groves Bros fabric. I sent away for samples. I don't really like all toiles. I'm not really liking the chair below, I don't know why it seems flat to me. apartmenttherapy.com Red or blue would work very well as an option for my chair. This pattern below is lovely, very Fortuny-like. A nice large pattern works best on such a large chair--don't go for a wimpy cartouche! Not sure if I like the look.............. Bright red pattern. The larger the pattern, the better. Aspire Auctions I do like this red pattern better............. So what would you do. My chair is like the one above. I'm getting fabric samples. Stay tuned. Feel free to chime in on opinions. I'm just so paranoid after the 80's and people putting huge floral patterns on everything...but I don't want plain linen, don't want country check, don't think I want velvet, saving that for the moss green upholstery job on the sofa. I wish there was something out there that has the feel of the fabulous old needlepoints, but it doesn't seem to exist. I would love that! What would you pick?

The Duke and Duchess's son will be known as His Royal Highness George of Cambridge - so what is the name's royal heritage?

Family order of King George IV that originally belonged to his sister, Queen Charlotte of Wurttemberg. 1825.

George III's visits to Weymouth - where he stayed, what there was to amuse him and some of the places he visited.

In honour of the King's birthday, Tatler takes a look back at his discerningly chic wardrobe

Sir Thomas Lawrence PRA FRS was a leading English portrait painter and the fourth president of the Royal Academy. Lawrence was a child prodigy. He was born in Bristol and began drawing in Devizes, where his father was an innkeeper at the Bear Hotel in the Market Square. At the age of ten, having moved to Bath, he was supporting his family with his pastel portraits. At eighteen he went to London and soon established his reputation as a portrait painter in oils, receiving his first royal commission, a portrait of Queen Charlotte, in 1790. He stayed at the top of his profession until his death, aged 60, in 1830.

Did you know that American Duchess has been designing 18th-century shoes since 2011? In fact, our very first design ever was the “Georgiana,” a satin 18th-century latchet shoe. (Oh, and here’s a bit of company lore — the very first shipment actually caught on fire.)

With so much interest in the Royal Collection’s Georgian Papers Project, we thought we would examine some of the portraits of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz who was also p…

Art.com | We Are Art We exist so you can have the art you love. Art.com gives you easy access to incredible art images and top-notch craftsmanship. High-Quality Framed Art Prints Our high-end framed wall art is printed on premium paper using non-toxic, archival inks that protect against UV light to resist fading. Experience unmatched quality and style as you choose from a wide range of designs to enhance your room décor. Professionally Crafted Framed Wall Art Attention to detail is at the heart of our process, as we exclusively use 100% solid wood frames that include 4-ply white core matboard and durable, frame-grade clear acrylic for clarity, long-lasting protection of the artwork and unrivaled quality. With a thoughtfully selected frame and mat combination, this piece is designed to complement your art and create a visually appealing display. Easy-to-Hang & Ready-to-Display Artwork Each framed art piece comes with hanging hardware affixed to the back of the frame, allowing for easy and convenient installation. Ready to display right out of the box. Handcrafted in the USA. The Print This giclée print delivers a vivid image with maximum color accuracy and exceptional resolution. The standard for museums and galleries around the world, giclée is a printing process where millions of ink droplets are “sprayed” onto high-quality paper. With the great degree of detail and smooth transitions of color gradients, giclée prints appear much more realistic than other reproduction prints. The high-quality paper (235 gsm) is acid free with a smooth surface.   Paper Type: Giclee Print Finished Size: 9" x 12" Arrives by Mon, Jun 3 Product ID: 56095643633A

Uno. Un barrio, El Cabanyal, amenazado por el derribo de muchas de sus edificaciones, un espacio de otro tiempo que puede desaparecer; una avenida que atravesará viviendas y casas deshabitadas, ace…

Timeless Tethers “Portrait of King George III” by Thomas Gainsborough, circa 1781 I love this portrait of King George. He has such a poor reputation, but if you had undiagnosed porphyri…

There’s this old episode of Seinfeld I love. George becomes smitten with a charming brunette named Nina, who he meets for the first time while wearing Timberland boots. Convinced his thick soles hide the fact that he’s short, he commits himself to wearing the same Timbs every time he sees her – any [...]Read More...

*Princess Sophie Charlotte was born on this date in 1744. She was the second Black Queen of England.

Today’s guests are authors Sarah Murden and Joanne Major. They have chosen to write about King George III’s golden jubilee: King George III was 71 years of age and had reigned longer than any British monarch since Edward III some four centuries earlier. It was a momentous occasion but technically, as was pointed out at the…

King George III – 1760-1820 by Dion Clayton Calthrop Page 2 – Georgian Men’s Fashion By Pauline Weston Thomas for Fashion-Era.com King George III – 1760-1820 Page 2 – Daily & Occupational Dress of Men English Costume History by Dion Clayton Calthrop Men’s English Costume Drawings Drawings To Illustrate Georgian Men’s Costume Georgian Men’s Fashion …

The Royal family marked the Queen's birthday at Windsor Castle last night with Princes Harry, Charles and Philip all wearing the traditional Windsor uniform - while Charles wore a black suit.

A fellow blogger kindly reminded me that George III’s birthday fell on 4 June. He was born in 1738 at Norfolk House, 31 St James’ Square, Westminster, London, which was built in 1722 fo…

The 92-year-old filmed her annual message in London two weeks ago, preaching a message of 'peace on earth and goodwill to all' amid rancorous political divisions in Britain.

King George III – 1760-1820 by Dion Clayton Calthrop Page 2 – Georgian Men’s Fashion By Pauline Weston Thomas for Fashion-Era.com King George III – 1760-1820 Page 2 – Daily & Occupational Dress of Men English Costume History by Dion Clayton Calthrop Men’s English Costume Drawings Drawings To Illustrate Georgian Men’s Costume Georgian Men’s Fashion …

King George III – 1760-1820 by Dion Clayton Calthrop Page 2 – Georgian Men’s Fashion By Pauline Weston Thomas for Fashion-Era.com King George III – 1760-1820 Page 2 – Daily & Occupational Dress of Men English Costume History by Dion Clayton Calthrop Men’s English Costume Drawings Drawings To Illustrate Georgian Men’s Costume Georgian Men’s Fashion …