Captions Sunday!

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By Way of a Change (1902)

Dear readers, sorry for the long silence. I am well and still very much interested in our favourite topic, it's just that real life (I know, that's a lame excuse, but what I can say?) and, I won't lie, laziness keep interfering. Anyway, a very interesting find. I am a huge fan of Victorian- and Edwardian-era prints and repeatedly used them for captions in this blog. Work by Charles Dana Gibson, the father of the famous 'Gibson Girl', has always held a special place in my heart. Surprisingly, I'd never come across this interesting 1902 print titled "By Way of a Change" before.  Many of Gibson's prints feature maids, but none unfortunately could be interpreted as lady-to-maid. This is probably the closest we can get. My spoiled mind keeps inventing the story behind it, but obviously it's something as innocent as this real-life masters and servants hotel role swap I did a post on. I am also somewhat reminded of this Edwardian postcard, How Would You Like to Be the Maid?   

Anyway, what do you think is happening here? 

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Story: The Intoxication of Servitude. Chapters 1-4.

by Jackie J

Chapter 1

Jennifer had been friends with Elizabeth for many years. It was a good relationship which worked well Jennifer being quite dominant and Elizabeth passive if not considered a closet submissive. Jennifer did not bully Elizabeth but did take advantage of her which in truth Elizabeth quite enjoyed.  In her working environment Elizabeth had to present the façade of a strong persona but coveted those in more subordinate roles. Some of those with strong personalities, who worked for her, contriving to exploit what they saw to be her weakness, having their boss do work for them. Something that had not gone unnoticed by one of the directors.

Jennifer’s relationship with Elizabeth was platonic although she had longed for it to be more and had hoped that one day it would be. Jennifer was very protective of her friend and often made a joke of what a good wife Elizabeth would make. Things had changed for Elizabeth recently and now an even bigger change for the two friends was about to take place.

Are you really going to Elizabeth, it is a big step, I hope you know what you are doing? From what you have told me it is all a little vague. 

Story: The Education and Rehabilitation of Miss Caroline Drake. Chapters 8-9.

by Jackie J

Chapter 8

Five months had passed since they had first set sail and clearing the docks the party of Lady Drake hugged. It had not been the most pleasant of sailings for the last part of their journey home, but they were all save on dry land now. Lady Drake had business to attend in London with the banks and bid farewell to her travelling companions, Lord and Lady Stokes and the company accountant, Cecil Browning.

Deeds and share certificates needed to be deposited at the bank and Gwendoline was anxious to know what carnage her profligate step- daughter had caused with the family finances whilst she had been away. Leaving the bank, Gwendoline retained a degree of disbelief and smiled, deposits outweighed withdrawals, by a considerable amount. Spending had been rather frugal. A large withdrawal two days after she left but not excessive and a similar amount two days ago, but the rest of the withdrawals, small amounts in line with the household budgets Mrs Dillon ran. Hardly anything, in fact nothing from the salons, drapers, jewellers, high end fashion houses, café’s, travel? How extraordinary she thought? Lady Drake had expected to be met by the debris left by a tsunami of Caroline’s reckless spending but nothing, nothing at all.

Her letters had not been answered, not that she expected them to be, she had been travelling extensively around her late husband’s global interests and it could be that mail got lost or is still following her trail. Two weeks spent in London with her friend, in contrast to the hustle and bustle of her travel, allowed her to relax and prepare for her return to Longwater. Cecil Browning had agreed to escort Lady Drake from London to her estate and duly arrived promptly. 

Story: The Education and Rehabilitation of Miss Caroline Drake. Chapters 6-7.

by Jackie J

Chapter 6

A lathered steaming horse, with its saddle removed, edged into its stall and a long- cloaked figure headed into the rear entrance of Clegg Hall. Breathless from a hard five- mile ride Abigail stripped off her boots, jacket and jodhpurs and thrust herself under the sheets of her bed. She knew Caroline was at Longwater, she just knew she was. Having grown up with Caroline and spent many days at Longwater she knew the manor intimately, every entrance and passage. Games of hide and seek with Caroline, over their younger years, leaving little of Longwater manor unexplored.

The adrenalin, that had driven her back to Clegg Hall, dissipating in her system Abigail laid on her bed staring up at the ceiling, her eyes filled with questioning worry. What to do, who to tell? What was she doing, is doing? Bella? Bella, that was Caroline and no mistake. Her hair was short, very short and wearing a maid’s uniform? she was scrubbing the hallway, actually down on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor?  And that other maid, shouting at her? Caroline’s voice, squeaky and the way she spoke? Oh, my goodness, what has happened to her? Abigail could not help but nervously chuckle to herself. Caroline Drake of all people, a maid? She should have done something, said something, but what? 

Having found her way unseen to Caroline’s rooms, hoping to find her there, she had heard a raised voice on the ground floor. Creeping to the end of the landing and stood at the top of the stairs she had peered down and that is when she saw what she had. Abigail had stood transfixed by the spectacle below, Caroline Drake in a maid’s uniform, a Longwater manor maid’s uniform, scrubbing the hallway tiles being berated, and called Bella, by a common maid. Begging the maid in a strange squeaky voice not to tell Mrs Dillon, her own housekeeper, that she had tipped her bucket? Hearing more voices, and fearful of being discovered, Abigail had hidden and waited for what seemed an age before climbing back out of the window through which she had entered Longwater. Confused, angry, perplexed it was now dark and Abigail having walked her horse stealthily through the back bushes jumped on its back and rode like the wind into the night.

Captions Sunday!

I’ve been accused of many things, none of them are true; but my career in medicine is gone. Well, not totally gone...I guess I’m technically still in the medical field... 

I researched ways to combat and reduce the severity of the COVID virus. I NEVER claimed—ever—to have a CURE. What I researched, tested, and discovered was a suite of nutrients, and substances naturally occuring in the body that not only made you healthier, but reduced the SYMPTOMS of COVID until you never even feel sick at all. Yes, you’ll still NEED a vaccine, you still need to quarantine, but not only would the virus NOT KILL YOU, but you would barely feel ill! 

I had six months worth of double-blind testing! The results I got were NOT FAKE! But I think, on instruction from pharmaceutical corporation higher-ups (I will never be able to prove this), I was thrown into enforced quarantine-isolation for one month, I was officially declared “Deceased from COVID-19” and I have only been allowed back into the world of regular community and commerce if I accepted the latest form of “COVID Passport” which overrides the life and identity I’ve had for sixty years—even down to replacing my Social Security Number! No longer able to research scientific AND innovative ways to make people healthy, no longer the peer of my former hospital and university colleagues, no longer equal to the most skilled surgeons, I have been reduced to being a scrub in a hospital!

Story: The Education and Rehabilitation of Miss Caroline Drake. Chapters 4-5.

by Jackie J

Chapter 4

The first four weeks of Miss Caroline’s re-education were predicably harsh, brutal, demeaning and both humbling and humiliating. A snap of Miss Caroline’s fingers and a scowl had provided for her every whim now she begged for the most basic of her needs, all her needs.

Much to the amusement of Miss Prentice Jenny had not tired of the bullying of her once Mistress and dressing her in her frilly juvenile attire. The use of the cane and strap had become less frequent over time just its threat and harsh words now bringing total compliance to the accepted rituals of her childlike existence within the confines of Longwater manor. Such had been the brutalisation of Miss Caroline just a glare from Miss Prentice bringing an instant cowering, head lowered curtsy, from Bella. Yes Bella, a name chosen by Miss Prentice to be more fitting and one that had been, and continued to be, ingrained into the increasing fragile mind and nervous confused persona of Miss Caroline Drake, the once would be Mistress of Longwater manor.

Three weeks into Miss Caroline’s torment, Miss Prentice, satisfied the surly madame was compliant, began the next stage of her scheme. Dressed as always, in her pretty frills, her hair in ribboned pigtails Bella was sat at the desk Miss Prentice had prepared in one of the rooms on the top floor of the manor.

Instructed to, and holding out her left hand, Bella sighed with relief when her Mistress worked open the strapping on her wrist and tugged free the false hand. The bruising and swelling from her dislocated thumb had gone but the prime disfigured digit sat awkward across her palm.