Breakfast Links: Week of August 8, 2011

From American quilts to Marie Antoinette’s pet dogs to 1904 hair driers – you’ll find them all in this week’s serving of our favorite links to other blogs, web sites, & news stories, gathered for you from the Twitterverse.

• A closer look at a 1770-80s French cotton sacque gown: http://bit.ly/nlsEs7

• 'The Goldfinch: the amazing Mrs Wilson (ca.1752-1787), actress and singer' - http://bit.ly/oYm3jC

• Explore one of the National Gallery's most beloved paintings, Vermeer's "Woman Holding a Balance,” through online tour: http://ow.ly/5Y60s

• A Victorian arrives in 1860 Paris: http://bit.ly/p7DwT4

• Some stunning images of natural beauty, to emphasise why we need a robust planning system: http://t.co/k

• Fantastic Ferragamo inspired snakeskin, white leather and cork wedge sandals, c. 1942 http://bit.ly/qNxRCS

• 'Opening up the Dead: Autopsies and Dissections in Early Modern England': http://wp.me/p14Gvd-hc

• Perhaps all those pease puddings were healthier than we thought? http://bit.ly/qzzCwi

• Wow, a hair dryer room in a women's gym - in 1904! What is this woman doing?! http://bit.ly/oFoapO

• Exhibition of sport clothes, from mid-19th c-present: Sporting Life at FIT now has its own website: http://bit.ly/pRwsis

• 300 years of American history preserved in textiles. Watch a video tour of the National Quilt Collection. http://ow.ly/5ZOul

• Ascot is only racecourse in Britain still owned by the Crown, first officially opened 11 August 1711 http://bit.ly/pZznWF

• Marie Antoinette's dogs: http://t.co/f5q

• Woodchucks don’t really chuck wood. They do, however, raid apple trees at The Cloisters: http://met.org/oxHfQw

• In 1891, Robert Louis Stevenson gave his birthday to a young girl: http://bit.ly/ocSAUn

• Female Artists with paintbrush in hand, or at least nearby, who were born in the 1600s - http://t.co/W

• Now you can search across collection of Getty Museum & the Getty Research Library's http://bit.ly/qVVDul

• Gauntlet for Left Hand, 1557 http://t.co/9XXtrZY

• Researching a Mourning Locket for Commander Robert Pouncy http://t.co/G0

• How Central Park's 19th c Sheepfold became the Tavern on the Green: http://t.co/U