In the eighteenth century, pink was worn by boys, girls, men and women, and it was only in the 20th century that ideas about pink clothing became so definitively feminine.

Gainsborough born #onthisday in 1727 painted one of Waddesdon's most popular works: 'The Pink Boy'. It acquired its nickname in the 19th century, in the wake of the fame of the 'Blue Boy', now
@TheHuntington

Louis (Carrogis) de Carmontelle, Henri-Louis cain, called Lekain (1726-1778), in the role of Nero, c 1773

Jean Michel Moreau the Younger, La petite loge (The opera box), 1777

Jean Michel Moreau the Younger, Les adieux (The farewell), 1776

You might not know that Waddesdon houses an impressive drawings collection, with over 1500 works. Rarely displayed, because light exposure and changes in relative humidity can damage works on paper, we are delighted to be able to show these three theatrical works.

Significant Signatures: Autograph Letters from the Waddesdon Archive is one of two new exhibitions that have opened this week inside the Manor. On display are a number of letters from historical giants such as Elizabeth I, Benjamin Franklin, Lord Byron and Mozart

The meeting point between the early dream for the house, and the literal vision of that house shaped by inhabiting it… Our new exhibition - Discovering Jewish Country Houses: Photographs by Hélène Binet - opens today in the Manor's Exhibition Room

We recently welcomed Zenzie Tinker (textile conservators) to Waddesdon to remove and repair the silk coverings of one of the walls in the Morning Room. Here's a short timelapse of how the team went about it:

On International Women's Day we celebrate the strong ladies of Waddesdon. Their contributions made waves within the arts and heritage community, for example, "Miss Alice's Rules" are now used as preventative conservation measures across the whole of the National Trust

This print (The Disarmament of the Good Nobility) refers to the 'Day of the Daggers' on 28 February 1791. This is supposedly 'the exact form of the foul daggers' carried by the pro-monarchists who had come to defend King Louis XVI

Conservation works can often reveal unexpected treats; our conservator recently discovered that beneath the real wood frame of this tromp l'oeil painting the artist had completed the work with a typically lifelike painted frame. It shall henceforth be displayed as shown here

For a brief couple of hours, our 17th-Century Savonnerie carpets have enjoyed the light of day whilst being photographed by our friends at Oxford Archaeology. The photos will be combined to create one highly detailed image for each of our 13 carpets

Our very own curators Mia Jackson and Rachel Jacobs have made lovely contributions to this shiny new publication on women artists / designers across the National Trust's properties and collections: bit.ly/4jgTMbL

Along with the grounds, our Conservation Hub is open this half term - it's located nearby the playground and can be found on our Bloomberg Connects app: bloombergconnects.org

#Objectofthemonth - The Red Ante Room welcomes back this bellissimo 1850s Italian rock crystal and cut glass chandelier, which has been cleaned and rewired. It was originally part of a pair, and its twin sibling likely still survives somewhere in Italy

A black and white photo of a thatched cottage. Outside of it, two bee skeps are visible.

It's Valentine's Day, so you know what that means: BEES.

Alongside being the patron saint of love, plague, epilepsy, and fainting, Saint Valentine is also associated with beekeepers. As such, we thought we'd share a few of our favourite hives today.

Here's a thatched cottage in Waddesdon, 1880!

From the Archives: a touching love letter from Dorothy Pinto to James de Rothschild (Jan 1913). When James 'phoned his parents to announce their engagement, the quality of the line was such that they misheard and assumed he was marrying Dorothy Minto - a West End musical star!

Moses is back from his travels in Italy. Guercino’s painting has been on display at The Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome and starred in the exhibition’s ad campaign. Moses is now home at Waddesdon and you can see him alongside Guercino’s King David when the Manor reopens on 26 March.

Our 18th-century organ clock is making the journey back to its ancestral homeland this week; it will be kept at the Museum Speelklok in Utrecht for the next year where it will be investigated, restored and cleaned by specialist conservators.

King Charles I, whose likeness is captured on this snuff box (c 1705–1728), was beheaded #otd in 1649. Like today, the weather was very fresh at the time, which caused the 48-year-old King to worry that should he shiver from cold, the onlookers might mistake him for being fearful

The Manor has been put to bed until March...

'Dear God! the very houses seem asleep; And all that mighty heart is lying still!' (Wordsworth, 1802)

300 years old in 2025, 'The Game of Good Children' teaches children about the worries, sorrows and intrigues of life. The rules are listed in the centre. If they manage to pass the trials and avoid Death at square 58, players reach square 63 and sit at the Table of Good Children

(Published on this day in Jan 1792) 'The General Lafayette, supported by Marshalls Lukner's and Rochambeau's batons, takes the moon with his teeth'. Thanks to any historians who are able to explain what on earth this is all about...

Our Significant Signatures exhibition is being assembled by Waddesdon's archival team. On display will be autographs and letters from some of the most influential figures of the last 500 years. The Guardian has been good enough to provide some background: bit.ly/4gIvg1E

The Tree of Liberty was one of the principal symbols of the French Revolution; they weren't always literal trees, and this example - planted on this day in 1793 in Mainz, Germany - was more of a maypole with foliage stuck on top

Alright chaps not to alarm you but there is currently a replica of the little dog bed (niche de chien) made for Marie Antoinette in the 1770s up for auction

www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auctio...

Having survived the snow and frost, these tenacious daffodils are a welcome but surprising sight for this time of year - found in the grounds of Waddesdon near the aviary

An oil painting by Pissarro depicting a snowy landscape featuring a man carrying a bundle of hay into a barn.

❄️ From Pissarro to Hiroshige, we're highlighting some of our favourite winter-inspired scenes and objects from our collections in our latest story.

View more: www.ashmolean.org/article/wint...

❄️ Farm at Montfoucault in snow, 1874–1876, by Camille Pissarro (1830–1903). WA1951.225.2

Depicting a huntsman riding an easel, this trade card of a German artist wishes all a happy new year - the date in the bottom left is 1786 and the writing is loosely translated as 'self-made based on Life in the Moonlight'