Pineapples

Stroll through London’s streets, wander its public parks, enter grand houses, or explore its cemeteries, and it’s hard to miss the pineapples. These carved and cast ornaments serve as de facto emblems of empire, crowning buildings made possible through wealth extracted from the people and resources of other countries. They also reflect the Georgian-era obsession with pineapple growing, a status-driven fad that gripped the wealthy.

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In the early 19th century, Austen would have recognised pineapples as unmistakable symbols of affluence. There is no fruit in 21st-century London that holds quite the same cultural power.

References

Jane Austen and Pineapples - Damianne Candice Scott illuminates truth's behind pineapple regency dogma

Official Insta - The Jane Austen Pineapple Appreciation Society

Historic UK - All you need to know about Pineapple Rental

Kings College Halifax - Short article Pineapple History by Simon Kow

Pineapples in London - Maggie Jones Flickr

Kyoto Costume Institute - A cool pineapple reticule

Londisit - Short article on London's pineapples - Read Damianne Scott's essay first