Pink Power
As I’ve shown some bold pink designs lately, I thought to share my ruminations on Pink Power with you…
Pink is often thought of as a feminine colour. I love pink, but personally, as a woman, I sometimes feel persecuted by a pink cloud of fluffy cuteness that is by some considered to be the definition of my gender… Did you know that this has not always been the case? In the 18th and 19th Century pink was equally popular among men. In fact pink used to be seen as a colour for civility, intelligence, charm and youth; much-desired qualities in eligible young men as they courted the ladies.
It seems that blue and pink were entirely interchangeable between boys and girls all the way up to halfway the 20th Century. In fact, blue was associated with purity because in earlier times it was the most expensive colour, and therefore the Church had an artistic monopoly on it; for several hundred years only the Virgin Mary was allowed to be clad in blue. An artist would be punished if they used it for anything else! You can still see this in the famous Italian Renaissance art - and if you have watched Bridgerton on Netflix, you will have seen the wonderful early 19th Century drawing rooms and dresses in soft blue.
So what changed? The difficult times of the early 20th Century meant that women often had to manage without men; this gave a new sense of power and independence. In the 1950s, which were all about restoring order, there was a strong trend to put women back into their homes and return positions of power and independence to the men. But how to keep the ladies happy at home while taking away that precious newfound independence? Give them the exclusive ownership of the colour pink of course! Fashion, mostly designed by men, played its clever and dubious role by creating a pink dream for the ladies, and we have been immersed in it ever since.
So now that we've got this out of the way: pink is equally wonderful for men and women! And we will want lots of dinner parties once the pandemic is over... so I have some wonderful pink pieces on offer.
Where to find things
You can find all my available items here. If you type "pink" into the search window in the page header, you will get suggestions of pink items. And if you always want to see the latest additions, follow me on Instagram... I post pictures and a story every single day.
Free Copy of Homes & Antiques
Do you want to read an interview with me in Homes & Antiques? Order your free copy here! It has an interview with myself alongside 5 other collectors. And if you want to follow my monthly column where I write about the history of British porcelain, you can take out a subscription.
Wish List ❤️
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Happy weekend, and never underestimate Pink Power! 💕💗💖!
This week's new treasures:
