"...last winter, when I was at Bath, she was hawked about every where, and the aunt was puffing her with might and main. You heard of nothing, wherever you went, but of Belinda Portman, and Belinda Portman's accomplishments: Belinda Portman, and her accomplishments, I'll swear, were as well advertised as Packwood's razor strops."
[Chapter 2, Belinda by Maria Edgeworth]
What the Regency world called Accomplishments were simply the skills and knowledge that people thought were most important or useful within their social rank. A dressmaker would be accomplished at needlework and a coachman could be accomplished at handling horses, but readers of Regency-set stories are probably most familiar with those accomplishments that were considered useful to a young lady in good society who was hoping to catch a wealthy husband.
Miss Bingley described what may be one of the most recognised lists of requirements:
"No one can be really esteemed accomplished, who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved."
"All this she must possess," added Darcy, "and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading."
[Chapter 8, Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Austen]
A man with ten thousand a year and a house in town would have a different list of requirements than a country gentleman who is happy socialising with his neighbours and has no interest in London society. So while there were a number of skills you could learn, young ladies (or their mothers) would concentrate on those that would be most useful to them. Where parents spent money on masters to teach a particular accomplishment, they would have only invested in the knowledge and accomplishments they thought would be helpful at their level of society. Children of wealthy businessmen would also strive to learn some of these skills, as would young ladies and gentlemen of the gentry and the higher levels of society, in order to attract a suitable partner.
Men could also be described as accomplished. Many of the skills most admired in ladies applied equally to gentlemen:
"He was tall, slender and handsome, and, like most young British officers of late years, had picked up various small accomplishments on the continent—could talk French and Italian—draw landscapes—sing very tolerably—dance divinely; but, above all, he had been wounded at Waterloo:—what girl of seventeen, well read in poetry and romance, could resist such a mirror of chivalry and perfection!"
[The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent, Volume 2, By Washington Irving, pub 1819]
The following list covers some of the skills that were most admired by the educated classes during the Regency era.
The Art of Conversation
"There is one female accomplishment, however, on which I shall take the liberty to make a few remarks, and this is a talent for conversation. I believe I shall not err in placing it at the head of all attainments with respect to its attractive powers."
[The Athenaeum: A Magazine of Literary and Miscellaneous Information, Volume 3, by John Aitken, pub 1808]
To be able to talk to different people with ease was a skill that needed no teacher, just practice, confidence and good examples to follow. Despite the sentiment quoted above, the ability to hold a conversation was an important requirement for both men and women. In her letters, Jane Austen often described new gentlemen she met by how easy or difficult it was to talk to them. Writing In February 1813, she wished one man had been "less anxious and fidgety, and more conversable" while another man in 1816 was described as having "good manners and clever conversation". It's unsurprising that when she wanted to give Mr Darcy a failing, she gave him a difficulty in speaking to new people:
"I certainly have not the talent which some people possess,'" said Darcy, "of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done."
[Chapter 31, Pride & Prejudice]
It may have been a family trait, as Georgiana Darcy also found conversation a little difficult, although she at least had the help of her companion to diffuse an awkward silence:
"It was first broken by Mrs. Annesley, a genteel, agreeable looking woman, whose endeavour to introduce some kind of discourse proved her to be more truly well bred than either of the others; and between her and Mrs. Gardiner, with occasional help from Elizabeth, the conversation was carried on. Miss Darcy looked as if she wished for courage enough to join in it; and sometimes did venture a short sentence, when there was least danger of its being heard."
[Chapter 45, Pride & Prejudice]
Being a socially awkward gentleman made conversation just as difficult as a shy, quiet young lady who was too timid to talk. It's much easier to keep a conversation going—particularly between new acquaintances—when both sides made the effort and contributed equally.
The best kind of conversationalist tailored their topics to their audience, so a gentleman would be more likely to discuss politics or hunting with other men, and would be less likely to bore young ladies with those topics unless they expressed a particular interest in them. Likewise, ladies would avoid talking about clothing and fashion with a gentleman, unless he showed an interest, as Mr Tilney did when he gave his opinions on muslins in Northanger Abbey.
Deportment and Comportment
"It is throwing time away to be mistress of French, Italian, and German: music, singing, and drawing, &c., will gain a woman some applause, but will not add one lover to her list--grace and manner, after all, are of the greatest importance."
[Chapter 7, Lady Susan by Jane Austen]
Deportment is a general term that covers the way a person stands, walks and physically interacts with their environment. A young lady or gentleman who moved or held their body in a graceful way were always admired. The governess teaching her charge to walk with a book balanced on her head was teaching her deportment, including how to walk without looking down at her feet. Learning to dance also helped to promote graceful movement.
Those with good deportment would not slouch or hunch over. A young person with good deportment would also know how to bow or curtsey without looking awkward or gawky.
This was what Miss Bingley had in mind when describing someone with a "certain something in her air and manner of walking". Children would begin learning the correct deportment while young, so they had fewer bad habits to be corrected later.
Having the right deportment included the proper etiquette related to movement, like allowing ladies and the elderly to walk on the side of the pavement that was furthest from the road.
"He had seldom seen a young person comport herself with more decorous propriety, mixed with ingenuous simplicity; while the consciousness of the peculiarity of her situation threw a singular colouring over her whole demeanour."
[The Fortunes of Nigel, by Sir Walter Scott]
Comportment refers to behaviour and manners. Someone with good comportment would be well behaved and have good manners. They would know how to comport themselves with grace and propriety. The opposite would be someone like Lydia Bennet, who frequently failed to comport herself in a ladylike fashion.
A young lady who was nervous and shy was considered lacking comportment, just as much as one who was bold and careless. The tone of voice used and way of speaking could also reflect well or poorly on the speaker.
Music
"If I," said Mr. Collins, "were so fortunate as to be able to sing, I should have great pleasure, I am sure, in obliging the company with an air; for I consider music as a very innocent diversion, and perfectly compatible with the profession of a clergyman."
[Chapter 18, Pride & Prejudice]
Music was a popular and accessible accomplishment. You didn't need access to an instrument if you could sing. For both men and women, a good singing voice was a highly prized asset. In fact, to be able to sing and play an instrument was so much expected of a young woman in good society that Lady Catherine de Bourg was shocked that all five Bennet daughters were not able to play an instrument, saying: "Why did not you all learn?—You ought all to have learned. The Miss Webbs all play, and their father has not so good an income as yours." Even Catherine Morland, whose father was a clergyman, had a year's worth of music lessons from the age of eight.
It was not unusual for guests to take turns to sing and play at a piano during an evening entertainment. In chapter 26 of Emma, Emma sang and played and her voice was joined by that of Frank Churchill:
"He was accused of having a delightful voice, and a perfect knowledge of music; which was properly denied; and that he knew nothing of the matter, and had no voice at all, roundly asserted. They sang together once more; and Emma would then resign her place to Miss Fairfax, whose performance, both vocal and instrumental, she never could attempt to conceal from herself, was infinitely superior to her own."
Being able to play an instrument was a skill many attempted to master, as it drew attention and praise if they played well. The piano also offered opportunities for a gentleman to spend time with a lady he might be interested in, either by joining her in a duet or offering to turn the pages.
The harp was the second most common instrument that a young lady might learn. Mary Crawford in Mansfield Park and Georgiana Darcy in Pride & Prejudice could both play the harp, as did Belinda Portman in Belinda and the Falconer sisters in Patronage.
Music lessons could be provided at school or in the home. In 1806, piano-forte lessons were advertised at two guineas per quarter, with lessons three times a week. Lessons for the harp were available at a cost of one guinea for eight lessons.
In 1819, a new cabinet piano-forte could be bought for sixty guineas, or thirty-eight guineas second-hand. A square piano-forte cost twenty-five guineas. A pedal harp cost ninety-five guineas, new, or sixty guineas second-hand.
Other instruments available included the violin and flute, both being more commonly used by gentlemen than ladies. You might not think playing the flute would show a gentleman to advantage, but one of Maria Edgeworth's characters certainly thought so:
"Talking of that description of men, reminds me of Lord Drumlandrie. I thought he was more than usually charming yesterday, and blew the flute so exquisitely, I was more than half in love with him."
[Chapter 29, The Match Girl, by Maria Edgeworth]
In 1815, a second-hand Italian violin was advertised for eight guineas.
Dancing
"I danced with Mr. John Wood again, twice with a Mr. South, a lad from Winchester, who, I suppose, is as far from being related to the bishop of that diocese as it is possible to be, with G. Lefroy, and J. Harwood, who, I think, takes to me rather more than he used to do. One of my gayest actions was sitting down two dances in preference to having Lord Bolton's eldest son for my partner, who danced too ill to be endured."
[Letter from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra, 8th January 1799]
Dancing was a vital accomplishment for a young man or woman to learn, as dances were ideal opportunities to get to know members of the opposite sex. Dancing may have been one of the first opportunities a man or woman had to spend time with someone they were interested in, with chaperones looking on from a discreet distance and unable to listen to their conversation.
In her book on Practical Education, Maria Edgeworth criticised marriage-minded Mamas for believing that: "...dancing is something more than an amusement; that girls must learn to dance, because they must appear well in public; because the young ladies who dance the best are usually most taken notice of in public; most admired by the other sex; most likely, in short, not only to have their choice of the best partner in a ball room, but sometimes of the best partner for life."
However, Jane Austen's words to her sister suggest that it wasn't only young women who benefitted from being able to dance well. Men, even those whose family were titled, may struggle to find a dancing partner if they "danced too ill to be endured".
Dancing was taught to children in the family home, at boys' and girls' schools, or at dancing schools in large towns and cities. Even the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth considered dancing an important skill for their young trainees to learn, employing a dancing master and paying him £73 10s a year.
In 1819, Mr Levien ran "a Morning Academy for ladies and gentlemen under the age of 15, twice a week" on Lower Charlotte Street, Bedford Square, at a cost of one guinea per quarter.
Private lessons were also available to adults that had either never learned to dance, needed to improve their skills or wished to learn some new dance in private before attempting it in public. In 1806, Mr Gillway offered eight dancing lessons for one guinea, and promised that sixteen lessons were "sufficient to appear at any assembly in the kingdom". In 1819, Mr Levien offered to teach quadrilles, waltzing, minuets and country dancing in six private lessons for one guinea. Lessons in the countryside were usually more reasonable. In Salisbury, in 1810, Mr Lings offered dancing lessons for only 15 shillings per quarter.
Languages
"She is totally devoid of elegant accomplishments, excepting the knowledge of French and Italian, which she acquired from the most grotesque monster you ever beheld, whom my father has engaged as a kind of librarian."
[Chapter 29, Guy Mannering by Sir Walter Scott]
Learning at least one foreign language seems to have been common among those from the upper-middle-class families and above. Young men and women may not have had much opportunity to use the languages they learned, but having a knowledge of ancient or modern languages suggested that they had been given an appropriate level of education.
The most commonly spoken foreign language was French, particularly among young women, while young men might learn French along with the Latin and Greek they required to attend university. Other languages depended on inclination and aptitude. In the highest levels of society, French words and phrases were frequently sprinkled within conversations, or written in letters to friends. French remained fashionable even when England and France were at war.
In many cases, language learning began at home. In Mansfield Park, the Bertram children are surprised when they discover their cousin Fanny had never learned any French, but she started her lessons once settled in their home and would occasionally be tested by her uncle. In Northanger Abbey, Catherine Morland learned French from her mother, but her proficiency was "not remarkable". Anne Elliot was able to translate the words of an Italian song in Persuasion.
"I sometimes wish that I had studied languages with more attention: those which I know, even the classical (Greek and Latin, in the usual proportion of a sixth form boy), and a smattering of modern Greek, the Armenian and Arabic Alphabets, a few Turkish and Albanian phrases, oaths, or requests, Italian tolerably, Spanish less than tolerably, French to read with ease but speak with difficulty or rather not at all – all have been acquired by ear or eye, and never by anything like Study."
[Byron's Detached Thoughts, pub. 1821]
Boys' schools taught Greek and Latin as part of their basic curriculum, and many also included French, although in many schools tuition for the modern languages cost extra. In 1815, Mr Edward Simpson's academy charged an additional 10s 6d per quarter for French lessons. Female Seminaries offered access to French masters, while a well-qualified governess might teach French, Italian, German, or some combination of the three.
Language Masters were also available. In 1801, Monsieur Du Mitand offered private lessons in French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Dutch at a cost of £2/2s for eight lessons. He also provided refresher courses for gentlemen in Latin and Greek.
Arts and Crafts
"While Lady Stafford in the morning was in the library doing a drawing in water colours to show Honora her manner of finishing quickly, Fanny and I sat up in Lady Elizabeth's darling little room at the top of the house, where she has all her drawings, and writing, and books, and harp."[Letter from Maria Edgeworth to Mrs Ruxton, 20th January 1819]
Drawing and painting was an acceptable accomplishment for both women and men. Paper, pencils and artists paints were luxuries only available to those who could afford it, and art was an entertaining pastime, regardless of the weather.
Art was another of those hobbies that provided opportunities to spend time with members of the opposite sex. What gentleman would refuse to have his likeness sketched by a young woman he admired? How many young ladies would swoon over a handsome gentleman capturing a landscape?
In an age before photography, drawing and painting was the only way you could record the image of another person. While full-sized portraits were expensive, a pencil drawing or painted miniature could take the place of a photograph as a way of remembering someone. If Cassandra Austen had not been able to draw we may never have known what Jane Austen looked like.
Artists would offer lessons in painting and drawing to supplement their income, either at home or within a school. Governesses would pass on their artistic knowledge to their students.
"They all paint tables, cover skreens, and net purses. I scarcely know any one who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished.''
[Chapter 8, Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen]
If a young lady wasn't confident enough to paint a portrait, she might instead showcase her artistic abilities through various other kinds of art or craft. She could paint a scene on a piece of china or an item of furniture. Plain china pieces were even sold for this purpose. Embroidery on handkerchiefs, slippers and other small items was also popular. Both ladies and gentlemen would draw and cut silhouettes of their friends' and relatives' profiles to be framed.
Reading and Writing
"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid. I have read all Mrs. Radcliffe's works, and most of them with great pleasure. The Mysteries of Udolpho, when I had once begun it, I could not lay down again; I remember finishing it in two days--my hair standing on end the whole time."
[Chapter 14, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen]
Simple reading and writing on their own were not considered accomplishments, but being well-read, or being able to write well was always admired.
Some young ladies limited their reading to novels. Others would have chosen a wider variety of fiction and non-fiction titles to improve their mind and expand their general knowledge. Choosing to read for entertainment and enlightenment also helped in social situations, as people frequently discussed books and authors during conversations with visitors.
Men also read novels, but they would have absorbed information from a wide variety of sources such as newspapers, magazines and scientific pamphlets.
The ability to write well, particularly letters, was considered an important accomplishment. "The Accomplished Letter-writer", published in 1802, opens with the statement that: "There is scarcely any species of composition deserves more to be cultivated than the Art of Writing Letters, since none is of more various or frequent use." The art of writing a good letter included having elegant handwriting, clear composition and offering the same respect in writing that you would give to the recipient in person.
Because all but the most private letters could be shared with family and visitors, general letters were often written with the idea that they would be seen by more than just the person who received it, so it was an opportunity for the letter writer to present themselves in a positive light to more than one person.
Men and women also wrote poetry, articles and novels, either to share with friends and family or for publication. Magazines of the time always included a large proportion of reader-submitted material, either under the writer's own name or using a pseudonym.
Riding and Driving
"The next day, Ormond, who was now master of a very elegant phaeton and beautiful gray horses, and, having for some time been under the tuition of that knowing whip Tom Darrell, could now drive to admiration, prevailed upon Lady Millicent to trust herself with him in his phaeton."
[Chapter 20, Ormond by Maria Edgeworth]
Riding a horse or driving horses attached to some kind of carriage was a practical skill, particularly for those who lived in the countryside. Although they were particularly important skills for young men to learn, women could ride and drive horses if they chose if family circumstances permitted.
You could learn to ride a horse from a young age, although for a family who had their own horses and stables it would be easier for the children to learn whenever it suited them. When Fanny Price arrived at Mansfield Park as a child she could not ride, but soon learned on the old grey pony. Mary Crawford also claimed to be unable to ride when she visited the Rectory and she was considerably older than Fanny.
Many female characters in the novels of the time were able to ride, and if they didn't it was often due to financial constraints. Eleanor and Marianne in Sense and Sensibility had to give up their horses because they couldn't afford to keep them on their reduced household income. We see Jane Bennet in Pride & Prejudice ride to Netherfield, yet Elizabeth Bennet described herself as "no horse-woman", so she walked to visit her sick sister. In this case, it seems that Elizabeth would have had the opportunity to ride if she wished but for some unknown reason preferred not to.
Riding was seen as good exercise for both sexes, but it was also a way of spending time with a member of the opposite sex without overbearing chaperonage.
In 1799, Captain Carter opened his Riding School near South Audley Street, London, during the season. He offered twelve riding lessons for ladies and gentlemen for £2 and 2 shillings.
"She always watched for the time when Lady Davenant went out in her pony phaeton, for then she had her delightfully to herself, the carriage holding only two."
[Chapter 7, Helen by Maria Edgeworth]
For some women, being able to drive gave them the independence to visit friends who may have lived too far to comfortably walk, particularly in the countryside. There was no rule that prevented a female from driving some kind of carriage. They were usually limited to small, open carriages like the gig, pulled by one or two horses, for local trips. In the countryside, a sedate drive alone to a friend's house would not have been considered scandalous, although driving without a groom in attendance could have been seen as risky, in case the horse bolted and caused an accident.
Even in town, women could and did drive carriages themselves, although it would have been even more important for them to drive with a groom in attendance. The groom would be needed to look after the horses while his mistress ran her errands as she couldn't just park her carriage outside a hat shop. Female drivers would limit their drives to the main shopping streets and perhaps Hyde Park. A respectable woman would not wish to drive herself down St. James's Street, passing the Gentlemen's Clubs and being ogled by passers-by.
Yes, there were always exceptions, but they tended to be ladies who were older, married or already had scandalous reputations that would not be damaged by how or where they travelled. One of these was Lady Lade, the wife of Sir John Lade, previously the reputed mistress of a highwayman, who was also a friend of the Prince Regent.
Sports
"The art of boxing cost him more than all the rest; but as he was neither deficient in courage of mind nor activity of body, he did not despair of acquiring the necessary skill in this noble science--necessary, we say, for Charles had not been a week at Westminster before he was made sensible of the necessity of practising this art in his own defence."
[The Good Aunt, Tales & Novels vol 1., by Maria Edgeworth]
Sports and other outdoor physical pursuits provided opportunities for gentlemen to keep fit and spend time with like-minded individuals. A man who could hunt, shoot, box, fish, row or fence with skill and courage was generally admired by his friends and acquaintance.
Between men, a skill in sports might be the accomplishment that they are best known for. In Sense and Sensibility, for example, Sir John, when first asked about Mr Willoughby describes him as "A very decent shot, and there is not a bolder rider in England."
Shooting, fencing and boxing were also important skills for self-protection. Gentlemen walking in town or travelling alone through the country never knew when they might come across a foot-pad or highwayman.
If a man was skilled at everything he would be considered a Nonpareil, a French word that described an "unequalled excellence". The equivalent in English was the slang term, Nonesuch, meaning "one that is unequalled".
[Image: Concert Room Full Dress with harp, from La Belle Assemblee, pub. December 1809 (Public Domain)]
Edited to add: cost of riding lessons in 1799.
Edited to add: quote from The Match Girl by Maria Edgeworth