History and Today

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/apr/26/students-higher-education Just some small corrections or clarifications - rosettes and ribbons were generally not worn in the hair but were rather worn on or around clothing, especially hats. On the other hand there are some cartoons of aristocratic ladies wearing head-dresses with ribbons stamped with patriotic messages such as 'God Save the King' during royal celebrations. Although there are some material items in the British Museum, such as these fantastic '45' pins in support of John Wilkes from 1763, most of the evidence I used was from cartoons, paintings, newspaper reports, and diary entries. The Foundling museum however have some interesting patriotic ribbons that had been left as identifiers with the foundling babies.

I'll comment on this in more detail later: story in the Guardian,  but here are some initial thoughts: I've been thinking a lot about class over the past few months. It comes as inevitable being a socio-political historian, but I'm also interested in contemporary social categories. One event that really got me thinking was when Lynsey Hanley , the author of Estates , an Intimate History , came to speak at our university. I'd read her columns in the Guardian before, but had only dipped into the book now and again. She spoke mainly about her childhood and transition into university and adult life. I re-read the book, and have been trying to work out what it is about class that she's pointing to. The above article in the Guardian is pointing the same way. I'm not sure whether I agree or not, and part of why I keep thinking about the topic of class is because I can't work out why I disagree, so these are still my 'thoughts in progress'. Common the