Jane Ellen Panton (1847–1923) was the second daughter of the artist William Powell Frith, and a journalist and author on domestic issues. She grew up in London, where she developed an aesthetic and practical interest in the various homes she lived in, and went on to publish a series of advice guides on buying property, decorating, and running households. Given her family's background and diverse interests, art, literature and theatre were also prominent in her life, as well as law and religion. First published in 1908, this is Panton's revealing autobiography, in which she recalls the places she lived, as well as the painters, actors, writers, and religious and legal figures who were central to her family's circle, influencing her tastes and interests. Offering a portrait of a creative milieu in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this book is both historically valuable and highly readable.
Jane Ellen Panton (1847–1923) was the second daughter of the artist William Powell Frith, and an expert on domestic issues. First published in 1911, this is a further collection of her memoirs, following her earlier autobiography Leaves from a Life (also reissued in this series). The focus of this book is her close friend Basil Hodges and his great influence on her life. She describes Hodges, an artist she met in her childhood, as an 'underdog' whom she set out to help, and went on to support him through difficulties in his marriage and career, accompanying him on his travels. Her friendship with Hodges led her to travel abroad and meet a range of colourful characters, all recounted here in vivid and often humorous detail. Offering reflections on life in England and France in the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this book has much to offer social historians.
Jane Ellen Panton (1847–1923) was the second daughter of the artist William Powell Frith, and an expert on domestic issues. First published in 1896, this is her guide to creating the 'dream house'. In it she draws on the experiences of Deborah and Dick, clients who sought her advice after looking unsuccessfully for a suitable home. The book is based on the notion that turning an existing building into a dream house is impossible, and begins by offering advice on finding land and building on it to create a home that could be 'the cradle of the race', passed on to successive generations. Panton devotes a chapter to each of the different parts of the house, from the governess's rooms to the maids' quarters. Providing a revealing insight into domestic middle-class tastes and concerns in late nineteenth-century England, this book remains of interest to social historians.
Jane Ellen Panton (1847–1923) was the second daughter of the artist William Powell Frith, and an expert on domestic issues. Published in 1909, this is a further collection of Panton's memoirs, following her earlier autobiography Leaves from a Life (also reissued in this series). It looks back on life in mid-nineteenth-century England and the changes that had taken place since then, beginning by asking the question of how much the present generation knew about their country's past. Over fifteen chapters, Panton explores developments in the nature and structure of institutions such as the family, the community, the church, the electorate and the military, deeming certain changes as negative, such as the decline of county families and the gentry, while welcoming others, such as increased opportunities for women. Providing revealing insight into English middle-class concerns in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this book remains of interest to social historians.
Jane Ellen Panton (1847 1923) was the second daughter of the artist William Powell Frith, and a journalist and author on domestic issues. First published in 1887, this is the revised 1893 edition of h
