John Ruskin's father...
Posted by Helen on May 15, 1998 at 12:40:36:
In response to It's not the respectability, written by Caroline on May 13, 1998 at 20:46:11
] If he was a brewer, he'd have a regular routine, wouldn't he? Don't forget his planned holiday is cut short by business, quite unexpectedly, it seems.
]
.... was a wine merchant, and Ruskin (born 1819, so not too far off) describes how he used to take the family "on holiday" with him each year (with all their belongings packed round them in a gig, just like my parents used to pack us into the car...) as he made the round of the stately homes and other distinguished clientele of his firm. This can be found in Ruskin's autobiography, the rather charming "Praeterita"... I'll see if I can dig up any other information from it about a very respectable merchant's life in the early C19th...
I don't think he could have been anything to do with books (because I can't see JA on the first draft having any in-depth awareness of how exactly publishing worked, and by the time she had to deal with publishers, I would guess that like all writers she didn't think too well of them ;-) ). I also don't think he could have had anything to do with the clothing trade (Mrs. Bennet would have given him no peace) or spices/exotic foods (ditto). So my suggestion is the exceedingly genteel (as all Cranfordians know) trade of tea...
Helen
- Yes, why not? A very genteel trade! Caroline 09:31:42 5/16/98
(0)
- Another reason why not the clothing trade Caroline 16:53:15 5/15/98
(0)
- Jane & publishing... P. Bingham 14:04:31 5/15/98
(0)
Posting followups to old messages is disabled; instead go to the main index and post a new message which mentions this one.
