Before the Victorians reinvented it, the traditional Christmas was a very different affair. Devoid of Father Christmas, trees and commercialization, the emphasis was on gentility, tradition and sociability.  Jane Austen set many scenes from her novels during the Christmas period exactly because this was a time for social gatherings.  We’ll look at the balls, parties, dinners, games, traditions and celebrations that filled the festive season.  Novels, letters, paintings and engravings are used to bring the Georgian Christmas to life.

 

Claire worked at the Victoria & Albert Museum and lectured at the University of Warwick. She has lectured widely in Britain (at the Courtauld Institute of Art, V & A, Costume Society and Museum of London amongst others) and in Europe, the USA and Canada.  She now lectures for the Open University.