Monday 1 October 1660

Annotations

• N Paul Brewster on Thu 2 Oct 2003, 12:16am

  which are now almost fit to be hung
  L&M: “Wallpapers were not widely used until well into the 18th century.”

• N Paul Brewster on Thu 2 Oct 2003, 12:20am

  the painters beginning to do their work today
  L&M: “William Brewer’s bills … for ‘divers painted workes’ at the Navy Office and at several lodgings there including Pepys’s, … amount to over

• N Paul Brewster on Thu 2 Oct 2003, 12:23am

  which they say do cause great robbing
  L&M: “‘Nov. 1660. Great robings of houses and highways in and about London.’ Albermarle on 28 August had issued an order forbidding soldiers to create disturbances at theatres. …”

• N Roger Arbor on Thu 2 Oct 2003, 07:31am

  Poor Samuel, only doubled his ready cash in 9 months

• N maureen on Thu 2 Oct 2003, 07:48am

  Hangings might have been real tapestry - wildly expensive but could be second-hand - cloth woven or painted to give the vague impression of tapestry, embroideries or tooled leather at this time. From the text, painted cloth seems to be a real possibility. Any real experts out there?

• N Mary on Thu 2 Oct 2003, 07:58am

  ‘fit to be hung…’

  Possibly with tapestries, but more likely with painted cloths or simply with fabric. According to Picard, suitable fabrics ranged from cheap, linen-based fabrics with a woven design to very expensive silks, satins, velvets, damasks and brocades. Bright colours were favoured. A small spoiler follows: in 1663 Sam will record,”bought my wife a Chink: that is, a painted Indian calico [i.e. chintz] for to line her new study, which is very pretty”.

  A further possibility for reception rooms was coloured and gilded embossed leather panels.

• N Dave Bell on Thu 2 Oct 2003, 09:33am

  A minor note on paint — this was not the modern pre-mixed paint from the DIY store. The painters mixed the paints themselves.

  The info I have is terribly out of period, but the exterior paints of 75 years ago were made up from a white lead base, with the colouring mixed in by hand, and the colours could fade quite rapidly when exposed to sunlight, changing colour as well as intensity.

  Another example of how many things are so much easier today…

• N Barbara on Thu 2 Oct 2003, 02:28pm

  Even though Pepys is worried about the amount he is spending, am I correct in thinking that is that this is only for furniture, hangings, fittings etc? It seems to me that all the costs of renovation, painting, etc are borne by the Navy Office.

• N David A. Smith on Thu 2 Oct 2003, 06:04pm

  “some work to do for him, and so with all haste”
  A new day, a more chipper diarist!
  Especially when contrasted with the preceding few, this entry clarifies that Sam thrives on two things: (1) attention from my lord Montagu/ Sandwich, and (2) work, busy-ness, the hustle and bustle of professional life. These lodestars govern his economic prospects, his social station, but more, I think, his sense of self-worth. (He’s not the first young man to define himself by his newly-heady job.) Send him to fetch a bone, and he fairly slathers with anticipation ….