Autumn Duchess Cover Reveal

Hello Dear Readers

I 'm thrilled to bits to reveal the finished artwork for Autumn Duchess, the second book in the Roxton Family Saga. And with this artwork, we were in the unique position of portraying the same heroine on two book covers for the same series—on the prequel Noble Satyr when Antonia is 18 years old, and then again on Autumn Duchess, which is set 30 years later when Antonia is the majestic Dowager Duchess of Roxton.

The Models

Alissa as Antonia Roxton

The choice of model for Antonia as the Dowager Duchess of Roxton was a simple one for me. For years I’d set my sights on having Alissa Bourne model for Antonia. So imagine my absolute delight when she agreed!

Alissa reminds me of Brigitte Bardot in her heyday, and Brigitte is who I imagine Antonia resembles when I’m writing. Like the French actress, Alissa projects a sensual fragility, which is precisely what I was looking for with Antonia at this stage in her life. And just like Antonia, Alissa is also famous for her magnificent décolletage! It goes without saying that Alissa is very beautiful and a head-turner. And just like the Duchess, men cannot but fall over their feet in her presence, and Jonathon is no exception. Alissa is my perfect autumn duchess.

Todd as Jonathon Strang

Jonathon is newly returned to England from 20 years in India. He is tall and sun bronzed. He is also incredibly handsome and intelligent, and larger-than-life. He does not suffer fools, and when he wants something he goes after it with dogged determination. A swoon-worthy 6’4”, when he enters a room everyone stops and stares, ladies’ fans flutter; who is this tall, bronzed stranger come amongst us? Todd Trofimuk is the perfect Jonathon.

Todd also just happens to posses a most impressive physique, like the Trojan priest Laocoön, as depicted in the Renaissance statue Laocoön and His Sons. Antonia admired this statue on her visit to the Vatican with the Duke in the 1760s, and Jonathon reminds her of Laocoön. I’m sure you all know the particular scene to which I’m referring. Here is a side by side comparison for you to swoon over!

The Setting

Antonia reclines on her chaise longue dressed a la Turque. She is in her pavilion down by the lake, where she spends a good deal of her time reading in solitude. Her pretty pavilion is anything but petite. In the Georgian world, buildings made a statement, even follies. Thus Antonia’s pavilion is a grand affair with fat columns, marble flooring, and opulent furnishings befitting her station in life.

The artwork for this book cover is a “conversation piece”, a form of painting whereby couples and family groups are shown in easy going formality, placed in the magnificent surroundings of their estates with landscape gardens to the horizon dotted with follies, lakes, and bridges. And the Georgians made such conversation pieces all their own.

The bridge spanning the lake in the Autumn Duchess artwork represents the transition between Antonia’s previous life as duchess of the grand ducal estate of Treat, and her life of retirement as a dowager duchess, relegated in the social hierarchy and to the more modest (if anything on the Roxton estate can be called that!) and sedate surroundings of her dower house and reading pavilion.

The fat columns of her pavilion represent power, position, and continuance. That while she may now be a dowager duchess, Antonia is still somebody of influence within her own family, and in society. The exotic carpet, pillows and chaise are testaments to her good taste, while her outfit a la Turque was all the rage amongst French and English nobles during the 18^th Century.

Turquerie—An Eighteenth Century European Fantasy

The fashions of the Ottoman Empire were zealously embraced by the English and French nobilities during the 18^th Century, as their many portraits and paintings attest.

The first reference to mode a la Turque appeared following the 1669 visit of Müteferrika Süleyman Ağa, the Ottoman Envoy to the Court of Louis XIV at Versailles. But it was the appointment to the French Court in 1721, of the Ottoman Ambassador Yirmisekiz Celebi Mehmet Efendi, that saw a resurgence of turquerie which was to go on and greatly influence many facets of Polite Society, from literature, to the arts, to their fashions.

In England, the publication of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s Embassy Letters did much to spark interest in the Ottoman Empire, and popularize the wearing of Turkish attire amongst the nobility. As wife of the English ambassador to Constantinople between 1717–1718, Lady Mary was in a unique position to describe her experiences, in particular the lives and dress of Ottoman women. She took to wearing Turkish dress herself, and was painted in her garments a la Turque.

Ottoman clothing was many layered

The Ottomans, both men and women, usually wore three layers of clothing. The şalvar (baggy trousers) and a lightweight gömlek (shirt, usually of raw silk) were the foundation layer. Over these were worn the entari (a full length open dress with long sleeve extensions called tippets). A kaftan (made of heavy silk and fur lined for winter) came next, and for wealthy women, a cepken (a short jacket) could be added if preferred. Fabrics and embellishments became rich and varied during the 18^th Century.

The more intrepid English and French nobles, merchants, artists, bureaucrats, and tourists ventured all the way to Constantinople to see the Ottoman Empire for themselves. And to mark the occasion, and as a souvenir of their time abroad, they had their portrait painted wearing Turkish clothing, just like Lady Mary Wortley Montague. And in keeping with local practice, these Europeans are often shown seated on carpets among cushions, or reclining on divans. This was a pose alien to Western formal portraiture at the time, and as such made the sitter appear even more worldly.

Yet fashion in the West wasn’t concerned with the realities of life in Constantinople but was rather a product of Western European fantasies. By dressing up in the robe a la Turque, the wearer was advertising their knowledge (however limited) of the “exotic” East, even if they had never traveled beyond the society drawing rooms of London or the salons of Paris (Williams, 2014).

Europeans reconfigured these layers to suit local notions of beauty and fashion, with some aristocrats going to the effort of authenticity by sending to Constantinople for their clothing.

Costumes for the book cover artwork

Various components of Antonia’s bespoke robe a la Turque (jumps, baggy trousers, entari, fur trimmed kaftan, waist sash, and head scarf), and Jonathon’s bespoke India waistcoat, were custom made by costumier Chris White and her team of seamstresses at Mrs. Papendick Historical Seamstress in Hednesford, Staffordshire, England. Chris and her team were exceptionally patient and exacting with this project and I am forever grateful to them, and for embracing the project so enthusiastically.

Antonia

Antonia visited Constantinople with the Duke in the mid 1760s, and as well as returning to England with the usual souvenirs, she brought back with her Turkish clothing. The layers of her robe a la Turque are less fanciful than that worn by her European contemporaries, but like them, she was able to pick and choose what she wished to combine of her Turkish clothing to make the outfit more individualistic. The result being her version of the robe a la Turque.

The layers of Antonia’s robe a la Turque (from the skin out):

White cotton chemise (her gömlek—shirt)
white stockings
Jumps instead of stays (not worn for photoshoot because of a sizing issue)

şalvar (baggy trousers in candy striped satin)

Modified Kaftan (jacket) of blue shot taffeta with fur trim (faux mink). Usually worn over the entari, for this artwork it is draped across the end of the chaise.

Accessories: blue shot taffeta head scarf; gold mules; Ottoman hand fan; metal sleeve garters; and jewelry (discussed below).

Ottoman clothing required a suitable setting

Dressed in their European vision of Ottoman attire, European aristocracy then required a suitable backdrop to show off. The preferred way (as mentioned earlier) of depicting the sitter in paintings, and later, in the 19^th Century when photographed, was propped on cushions on a daybed or chaise, legs drawn up and clothing arranged, with one (or both) shoes discarded. Having one shoe off and visible on the carpet was indication the sitter is at ease in such clothing and in such a setting, so much so, they are willing to provide the viewer with a peek into their private world. Objects of importance are carefully arranged to give further insight into the sitter.

In the Autumn Duchess artwork, Antonia has a stack of books by the chaise. She is wearing select pieces of jewelry with her robe a la Turque which readers will also know from Noble Satyr. The emerald and diamond necklace was the first gift, and for her eighteenth birthday, from her future husband the duke. The other jewelry pieces, too, were gifts from her Monseigneur, and as such hold a deep seated place in her heart. She wears them as a reminder of the love of her life, and of her past life by his side as duchess to the most powerful duke in the kingdom.

Antonia’s exotically painted fan was acquired in Constantinople, and also a gift from her duke. Along with her clothing and the setting, these little touches provide the viewer with all they need to know about her emotional wellbeing, her status as a duchess, and her interests.

Antonia is shown as queen of her domain with all the confidence of thirty years as a duchess, and Jonathon is respectfully paying court to her. Nothing has been decided between them, and yet the portrait hints at his persistence to win her over. That she has given him her hand, however tentatively, is an indication of her willingness to entertain the idea of a possible future with him.

Jonathon

Jonathon wears a pair of black velvet breeches from Darcy Clothing, and an Indian silk waistcoat made to measure by Mrs. Papendick Historical Seamstress over a white linen shirt and a nonchalantly tied white linen cravat (both also from Darcy Clothing).

As Jonathon is known for his embroidered silk waistcoats depicting the flora and fauna of the Indian Subcontinent, I spent many months trying to find the perfect material. In the end, time and money constraints had me settle for a lustrous brocade from the Banaras region of India. Banaras has a history of silk textile weaving stretching back many centuries. The region came under British influence through the East India Company in the 1760s, and the demand for Banaras brocades in the West skyrocketed from there.

The brocade chosen to make Jonathon’s waistcoat features a classic Banaras floral design in amber and pink on a dark base and was purchased through Top Fabric of Soho, London.

In the final artwork, the sleeves of Jonathon’s white linen shirt are rolled to the forearm, and while this is highly unusual (I would venture never done) for a formal portrait, it was intentional for this book cover. I needed a way to convey that Jonathon lives by his own code, that he has worked hard to acquire his fortune. He is a merchant and spent 20 years living in India. If not for circumstances beyond his control, he would have preferred to stay there. Showing him with his sleeves rolled up has a three fold purpose:

It indicates that here is a self-made man, one prepared to roll up his sleeves and do the hard work.
He is unconventional, willing to challenge rules and formality, to disregard both if need be, to achieve his ends, and unafraid of the consequences. After all, he is used to taking risks as a merchant, which is how he made his wealth.
Antonia must take him as she finds him. He wants her to know that he is different from other men. He is an idiosyncratic and self-assured merchant, and as a duchess she is at the apex of aristocratic society, but when they enter into a relationship it will be on an equal social footing, or not at all.

The Roxton Jewelry Collection

Kimberly Walters of At the Sign of the Gray Horse Reproduction and Historically Inspired Jewelry was commissioned to create Antonia’s 18^th Century jewelry pieces. Antonia wears her emerald and diamond wedding band, and emerald and diamond necklace, bracelet and earring set, gifts from her duke. And as mentioned earlier, they also feature on the Noble Satyr book cover. Added to these pieces on this cover is a five strand pearl cameo bracelet with a miniature painting of Monseigneur.

Cameo bracelets were favored by European royalty and noblewomen, and feature in their portraits. These bracelets were not only gorgeous pieces of jewelry but served to deliver a subtle message to the wider world. Perhaps the most famous of these bracelets is that worn by Mme de Pompadour at her toilette by François Boucher, featuring a cameo profile of her lover Louis XV.

The Antonia collection (emerald and diamond necklace, earrings, and bracelet, as well as her wedding band) are available to purchase as a set or individually. Also available is Antonia’s gorgeous pearl strand cameo bracelet, all from At the Sign of the Gray Horse Reproduction and Historically Inspired Jewelry on Etsy, with profits going to the upkeep of Kimberly’s rescue horses.

Post Production

We hired a chaise and pillows to ensure authenticity (and comfort for Alissa). And with such a multi-layered outfit, and the models being positioned on and around the chaise throughout the photo shoot, there was a constant need to rearrange clothing, hair, and jewelry while the photo shoot was in progress. This rearranging on set meant even more adjustment was required afterward using Photoshop, to ensure all the details came together as a cohesive whole.

I’m sure you’ll agree that the resulting piece of artwork is spectacular. For me it is precisely what I had in mind—a faithful homage to the 18^th Century European Fantasy that is Turquerie.

*Hardcover dust jacket, divided into the 5 separate panel sections (the white section dividers don’t appear on the printed jacket).*

Enjoy the behind-the-scenes video of the photoshoot

*Example thumbnails from the photoshoot*

The Team

Gene Mollica Studio—Gene Mollica and Sasha Almazan with assistance from Rachel Perry
Sprigleaf Pty Ltd
Chris White and her seamstresses at Mrs. Papendick Historical Seamstress
Kimberly Walters of At the Sign of the Gray Horse Reproduction and Historically Inspired Jewelry
Charles Kliment
Cyrus Wraith Walker

Until next time… Dair and Rory’s Happily Ever After in Dair Devil.

Hugs

Lucinda xo

Autumn Duchess: A Georgian Historical Romance

Roxton Family Saga Book 2: Antonia and Jonathon’s Happily Ever After

A different kind of Happily Ever After for the incurably romantic.
As Antonia’s world is collapsing around her, in swaggers a handsome stranger who completely upends her life. Little does she realize, this rugged merchant of mayhem is precisely what she needs.

Find your book seller on the Autumn Duchess page on Lucinda’s website

B.R.A.G. Medallion honoree
RONE Awards Finalist and 1st Honorable Mention
Readers’ Favorite award finalist