The Jane Austen Picnic: A Recap

"He was a blessing to the juvenile part of the neighborhood, for he was for ever forming parties to eat cold ham and chicken out of doors."

Sense & Sensibility, on Sir John Middleton

And that is just where we (my mother and myself) seemingly found ourselves when attending the P.E.E.R.S. Jane Austen picnic, at one of Sir John's delightful parties! Only, instead of in the country surrounding Barton, we were in Lincoln Park of Alameda, California. One would certainly be hard-put to find a difference between the two settings by merely examining photos from that delightful event, for nearly all it's attendants were attired in empire gowns or wool frock coats and breeches, and our lunches laid out on china plates with silver ware.

See for yourself!:

The festivities began with the eating of "cold ham and chicken" out of doors at eleven o'clock, and lasted until two, when the dancing began.

Our own picnic spread, complete with tea, cookies and juice. 

(For a detailed list and period recipes from our menu click here.)

Cold chicken pies and salmagundy

When most of us gathered had finished our luncheon, the announcement came that the dancing was  to begin!

Our excellent band 'Bangers and Mash'

Many in attendance regularly appear at P.E.E.R.S. and other re-enactment events, and are experienced dancers.

It was delightful to see men who took such care in the period details of their dress!

Yours truly in the lavendar spencer jacket.

There were a good many waltzes, which would put us in the late Regency, I suppose.

Dancing the famous "Sir Roger de Coverley"

Here I am again.

Some more examples of the lovely gowns and smart suits in attendance:

A very smartly dressed group of gentlemen!

A charming group of ladies we were introduced to.

Even some of the youngest gentlemen were dressed in their smartest attire!

And the young ladies in their loveliest!

A stroll in the shrubbery with the dancers behind.

The festivities ended at four o'clock or thereabouts with one last waltz. We then expressed our appreciation for the musicians, packed up our plates and "called for the carriages" before heading home.

For more pictures visit the P.E.E.R.S. album.

PEERS Jane Austen Picnic: a Day of Sense & Sensibility

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"He [Sir John Middleton] delighted in collecting about him more young people than his house would hold... He was a blessing to all the juvenile part of the neighborhood, for in summer he was for ever forming parties to eat cold ham and chicken out of doors..." - Sense & Sensibility

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Date: Saturday, August 7th
Time: Suggested set-up time is 10:00 a.m., Luncheon begins at 11:00, Dancing is from 1:00 - 4:00
Location: Lincoln Park, 1450 High Street, Alameda CA
Admission: Free!

For more details, check out P.E.E.R.S. Jane Austen Picnic Dance page.

This is an opportunity to go back in time, where lots of people are wearing period clothes and all of them eating period lunches, and joining in period dancing! Costumes are not required, of course. But for people who have them, this is a chance to indulge ourselves and wear them out and about!


P.E.E.R.S. is the Period Events & Entertainments Re-Creation Society, which puts on different events with period themes throughout the year around the San Francisco Bay area.

(Check out the pictures from their 2007 Pride & Prejudice picnic here.)

Most of us from Thither will be there and we hope you will join us for a delightful afternoon!

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'Emma' 2009 Costumes at Jane Austen's House Museum in Chawton!

This may be old news to many, but I've just discovered that some of the costume's from BBC's latest 'Emma' adaptation are on display in Chawton Cottage! (I wish they had been there when we were there last year!) They won't be there much longer, only until May 16th. But if you live in England or are planning a trip over there soon, it's not too late! Amongst the costumes on display are Emma's lovely yellow printed dress and her ball gown, a suit of Mr. Knightley's, and some apparel and accessories of Mr. Woodhouse's and Jane Fairfax's.


Jane Austen's House Museum "writer in residence," Rebecca Smith, has some wonderful pictures on her blog, here: http://www.janeaustenshousemuseum.blogspot.com

And check out the very lovely site of the Jane Austen House Museum itself: http://www.jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk

As a fan of Jane Austen, and of 'Emma' the novel and BBC's newest 'Emma,' this opportunity sounds beyond delightful! And I can't get over the fact that if we had gone to England this year or if they had been on display last year, we would have been in Chawton at exactly the right time. Oh, well...

Now's a good time to direct everyone's attention to the 'Emma' DVD, which has a very, very interesting and up-close documentary on the costumes, with interviews of their designer Rosalind Ebbutt, and a few shorter ones with Romola Garai, Johnny Lee Miller, Blake Ritson (Mr. Elton) and Tamsin Grieg (Miss Bates), among others. We get to see the costume closet and up-close views of some of the costumes themselves -- a feast to the eyes of anyone interested in Regency clothing and costuming! If you don't own this newest adaptation of 'Emma' on DVD, we carry it in our shop, here: http://thither.co.uk/dvdemma3.htm

I hope some of you get to see them!