Regency Reader Questions: Vancouvering and Mending China

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Thanks for the question, Amanda, and for being a Regency Reader! I think the blog you reference is:The Diaries of Miss Fanny Chapman

I found another reference “I vancouvered all the morning, broke some sugar and mended two dusters for my Aunt in the evening.” from her diaries.

This was at first a tough one, because my usual methods of just searching for “vancouvered” produced no reasonable results.  Context always helps, and you were gracious enough to provide that, so I did some alternative searching in trusty ladies’ guidebooks to understand how women were mending crockery:

and hang it up to dry Cement for China The juice of garlic bruised in a stone mortar is a remark ably fine cement for broken glass or China and if carefully applied will leave no mark behind it Cement for Earthenware An ounce of dry lean cheese grated fine and an equal quantity of quicklime mixed well together in three ounces
of skimmed milk will form a good cement for any articles of broken earthenware when the rendering of the joint visible is reckoned of no consequence To mend broken Glass Broken glass may be mended with the same cement as China or if it be only cracked it will be sufficient to moisten the part with the white of an egg stewing it over with a little powdered lime and instantly applying a piece of fine linen To cure Cracks in iron Pots or Pans Mix some finely sifted lime with white of eggs well beaten till reduced to a paste then add some iron file dust and apply the composition to the injured part it will soon become hard and fit for use To mend Marble Alabaster or other Stones Melted sulphur laid on fragments of stone previously heat ed will make a firm and durable cement Little deficiencies in stones or corners that have been stripped or broken off inay be supplied with some of the stone powdered and mixed with melted sulphur but care must be taken to have both parts properly heated To cure leaky Coppers and Boilers Mix equal parts of vinegar and milk so as to produce a curd Put to the whey the whites of four or five eggs after they have been well beaten and the whole reduced to a thick paste by the addition of some quicklime finely sifted This composition applied to cracks or fissures of any kind and properly dried will resist the effects of fire and water To cement Paper Ladies dressing boxes and other curious articles which re quire layers of paper to be cemented together are to be made of a beautiful white cement of rice flour blended with cold water and afterwards gently boiled This will be found in every respect preferable to common paste for almost every purpose to which that article is usually applied being much stronger and more elegant Two parts of isinglass and one of gum arabic dissolved in a small quantity of proof spirit by a very gentle heat will form a good cement for silk or paper Armstrong, J. (1817). The Young Woman’s Guide to Virtue, Economy, and Happiness …. United Kingdom: Mackenzie & Dent.

China A common cement for broken china may be made from a mixture of equal parts of glue white of an egg and white lead The juice of garlic bruised in a stone mortar is a re markably fine cement for broken glass or china and if care fully applied will leave no mark behind it Isinglass glue mixed with a little fine chalk will answer the purpose if the articles be required not to endure heat or moisture Earthenware An ounce of dry lean cheese grated fine and an equal quan city of quick lime mixed well together in three ounces of
skimmed milk will form a good cement for any articles of broken earthenware when the rendering of the joint visible is reckoned of no consequence A cement of the same nature may be made of quicklime tempered with the curd of milk but the curd should either be made of whey or butter milk This cement like the former requires to be applied immediately after it is made and will effectually join any kind of earthenware or china Glass Broken glass may be mended with the same cement as china or if it be only cracked it will be sufficient to moisten the part with the white of an egg strewing it over with a little powdered lime and instantly applying a piece of fine linen Another cement for glass is prepared from two parts of litharge one of quicklime and one of flint glass each separately and finely powdered and the whole worked up into a paste with drying oil This compound is very durable and acquires a greater degree of hardness when immersed in water Iron pots To cure cracks or fissures in iron pots or pans mix some finely sifted lime with white of eggs well beaten till reduced to a paste then add some iron file dust and apply the compo sition to the injured part it will soon become hard and fit for use Marble Alabaster marble or other stones may be strongly cement ed together in the following manner melt two pounds of bees wax and one pound of rosin take about the same quantity of marble or other stones to be joined reduce it to a powder and stir it well together with the melted mixture then knead the mass in water till the powder is thoroughly incorporated with the wax and rosin The parts to be joined must be heated and made quite dry and the cement made hot when applied Melted sulphur laid on fragments of stone previously heated will make a firm and durable cement Little deficiencies in stones or corners that have been stripped or broken off may be supplied with some of the stone powdered and mixed with melted sulphur but care must be taken to have both parts properly heated The New Female Instructor; Or, Young Woman’s Guide to Domestic Happiness, Etc. (1836). United Kingdom: Thomas Kelly.

In both these examples, they use the term “cement,” which led me to suspect Vancouver might be a type of cement, and our clever diarist was using or creating her own proprietary eponym (using a brand name as a generic term).  With considerable relief, I found this reference:

to an even surface I then cover the surface of two or more pieces with a proper cement and having applied the cemented surfaces to each other I then firınly press them together in a screw press or any competent press and leave them until the cement is dry then take them out and they are ready to be manufactured into corks There are many sorts of cement which may be used but I use and prefer the cement commonly called Vancouver's cement The Repertory of Arts, Manufactures, and Agriculture. (1820). United Kingdom: Nichols.

which opened up the historical world for me.

The Franklin Journal, and American Mechanics’ Magazine. (1826). United States: J. Dobson.

I found a snippet of an ad titled “Vancouver’s General Cement, or Iron Glue” from 1812 in a magazine, and a similar ad in the 24 January 1811 Morning Herald:

And here is another snippet I found with a better description: “In England (says M. Merimee) there is an article sold under
the name of ” Vancouver’s cement.” It is a whitish powder made up in small parcels. This cement is nothing more than fine lime and causeum, or else the white of egg dried and finely pulverized.” Merimee, M. (1839). The Art of Painting in Pol and in Fresco, London: Whittaker & Co.

I don’t see any signs that it is talking about a Kintsugi style pastime, just because Kintsugi implies mending intentionally with the wabi-sabi philosophy in mind (I took a Kintsugi class and it is an incredible tradition).  I think Fanny was merely sharing she mended a bunch of china and other items with cement.  That is not to say that someone didn’t use cement to make the repair and then do some painting along the repair lines — harnessing the spirit of wabi-sabi.  What I am saying, instead, is that there was no established practice or pastime of Kintsugi like mending called vancouvering in Regency Britain.

Thanks again for the question, this was a super fun opportunity to use my research skills and learn something new.

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2 Responses to Regency Reader Questions: Vancouvering and Mending China

  1. silverbirchbooksblog says:
    March 12, 2026 at 12:04 pm

    Thank you for your post, and all your hard work in researching it! Was really interesting and makes much more sense now.