The Trouble with Rain

A fashion mishap for these intrepid #gloriousGeorgians! Chemise a la rain. Or an excellent shift for bad weather!!!, 1805, via the British Museum.

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A Candid Portrait

I love how you can almost see Mrs Mortlock trying not to laugh as her son refuses to look suitably sombre... Elizabeth Mortlock (b.1756) and her son John Mortlock the Younger, by John Downman, 1779.

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Tight Lacing

A canny lady’s maid employs a poker to help dress her fashionable mistress! Tight Lacing, 1777, via Yale Center for British Art.

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The Three Graces in a High Wind

Never underestimate the perils of fashion! The Graces in a high wind - a Scene taken from Nature, in Kensington Gardens, by James Gillray. Via the V&A.

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The Commercial Dandy

Dr. Samuel Phillips Eady, a quack specialist in sexual health, certainly seems to get on well with his glamorous patients! "The Commercial Dandy and his sleeping partners", by George Cruikshank, 1821.Via the Lewis Walpole Library Digital Collection.

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A Spoiled Cat

This cat knows it’s onto a good thing. Miss Sukey and her Nursery, 1772. Via the British Museum.

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An Elopement

This ruddy-cheeked pair are going to cause all sorts of scandal! The Elopement, or Lovers Stratagem Defeated, 1785. Via the British Museum.

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Portrait of an Old Woman

Portrait of an Old Woman by Christian Seybold, from 1749. Photorealism before photos existed - what a talent. 

Via Harvard Art Museums.

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A Fashionabe Mama

A fashionable mama breastfeeds her baby in Friedrich Tischbein's Portrait of a Family, c.1795-1800, via Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel.

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Lady Russell and Her Son

You try getting a 3 year old to sit still for a portrait... Lady Russell and Her Son (1786), by Romney. 

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Dandy in Distress

The Exquisite, Alias Dandy in Distress, is so buttoned up and laced in that he can't pick up his fallen kerchief! This image illustrates a letter from a correspondent (beneath the image) who has concerns about modern fashions... Via the Lewis Walpole Library.

“A Correspondent furnishes us with the following Picture of an Exquisite alias a Dandy in distress, 

“Walking in one of the squares last week [,] it was my fate to follow an Exquisite stock'd and stay'd laced and bound collar'd and pilloried in all the fashion, so slender, so straight and so stiff that a man of ordinary strength might have used it as a walking stick, This thing flourishing a very nice perfumed handkerchief happened to let it drop; the question was how to get it up again; stoop it could not, and I confess I enjoyed its distress; for tho' for any other female I would have raised the handkerchief with alacrity, I wish'd to see how this creature would help itself, then thus it was : having eyed the handkerchief askance, something like a magpie peeping into a marrow-bone, it gently straddled outs its legs, and lowering the body between them it brought the right hand in contact with the object sought. What shall we say to the association of ideas, when I assure you, that looking on this unmanly figure, brought into my mind the knights of old, who when once unhorsed, could never from the weight and stiffness of their armour hope to mount again”. 

N.B. it is found remarkably convenient in such a case for the Exquisite to carry a cane or stick with a hook at the end, as he may fish up any thing he unfortunately drops without breaking his back or exciting the pity or visibility of the Spectators. - The Publisher respectfully solicits a continuance of the ingenious communications of his friends, to which he will pay the most particular attention.”

See more #gloriousGeorgians on Twitter!

An Unhappy Empress

Those of you who follow me on Twitter already know that I love to share gorgeous, cheeky and downright saucy images from the long eighteenth century using the hashtag, #gloriousGeorgians. Not everybody uses Twitter, of course, so I'll be sharing some of my favourite finds here at the salon.

When Catherine the Great saw Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun's portrait of her granddaughters Alexandra & Elena Pavlovna, she was NOT happy. "Not only is there no resemblance, but the two sisters are so disfigured that people will ask which is [which]." What a critic!

Lady Manners and Mr Lawrence

It's a pleasure to welcome LL Diamond, author of Particular Intentions, for a glimpse into the world of Sir Thomas Lawrence, one of my absolute favourites!

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Since publishing Particular Attachments, I’ve received a lot of compliments on the cover, so I thought it would be fun to “expose” my cover so to speak. I only use a part of the painting by Sir Thomas Lawrence, but my Georgiana Darcy in the story has dark brown hair and blue eyes—vastly different than the subject’s. . . well, grey hair. I love the filmy detailing on her white gown and contrasting blue waist, grey gloves, and pink rose. The detailed fleshiness of her hand that is holding the rose is what initially caught my eye in this lovely portrait. If I am careful and very methodical I can draw hands (when I have time to practice), but they are very difficult. You never think of hands as tricking the eye, but the eye doesn’t always interpret the angles correctly when an artist tries to draw them. Checking each and every angle is a necessity if I want it to look as it should, so I find a well-drawn or well-painted hand will draw my attention, as it did on the cover for The Earl’s Conquest as well. I did hope to use more of the background of the painting, but it didn’t look quite right when cropped—particularly with the unusual colouring of the peacock’s tail.

Now that the entire painting is exposed. Who painted it? And who is the lady depicted? Let’s start with the artist.

Sir Thomas Lawrence
(13 April 1769 – 7 January 1830)

Born in Bristol, Thomas Lawrence showed his talent at an early age, drawing pastel likenesses for fashionable people in his father’s tavern for a guinea or a guinea and a half a piece and eventually, supporting his family with his earnings by the age of ten.

At the age of 18, Lawrence travelled to London and became a student of the Royal Academy. He began to exhibit his work soon after and word of his talent spread so rapidly that he was made an associate of the Royal Academy in 1791. Upon the death of Sir Joshua Reynolds, Lawrence became the Painter-in-Ordinary to George III. While the previous generation was more restrained and smooth, Lawrence used thickly applied paint on clothing, boldly contrasted colours, and highlights that almost shimmer from the canvas. These qualities marvelled the fashionable set and earned him the commissions of many of society. He was knighted in 1815 and became president of the Royal Academy in 1820, holding that office until his death in 1830.

Lawrence was never married, though he was linked romantically with the Duchess of Devonshire, Sarah Siddons and both of her daughters, Caroline of Brunswick, and may have kept Isabella Wolff as his mistress.

As an artist, Lawrence was highly successful, however, his spending habits kept him in debt, though no one particularly knew what he spent his money on since it was said he didn’t bet on cards or horses, and never became intoxicated with his friends. He claimed to enjoy reading Jane Austen (I like him all the more for it!). Despite his lack of vices, it was estimated by his bankers that he owed twenty thousand pounds in 1807. He did have an impressive collection of artwork that was sold upon his death.


Now, who is the lady in the painting? Her name is Catharine Grey.

Catharine Grey, Lady Manners
(1766? – 1852) 

Catharine Rebecca Grey was born and raised in Ireland and later became the wife of Tory politician William Manners, who became a Baronet and later Lord Huntingtower. She wrote and published two books of poetry: Poems by Lady Manners (1793) and Review of Poetry: Ancient and Modern, A Poem by Lady M**** (1799).

In the painting, Lady Manners is depicted as the goddess Juno, which is symbolised by the peacock behind her; however, Lady Manners didn’t actually like the painting at all and it is claimed she “rejected” the work. Lawrence hoped to sell the portrait in 1794 at the Royal Academy, but no one purchased it and it remained in his possession until after his death.

Sources:

http://www.thomas-lawrence.org/biography.html

https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/sir-thomas-lawrence
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/aug/04/national-portrait-gallery-thomas-lawrence
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/oct/16/thomas-lawrence-national-portrait-review

Paula R. Backscheider. Eighteenth-Century Women Poets and Their Poetry: Inventing Agency, Inventing Genre. 28 Nov 2005. JHU Press. Pg. 407.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Grey,_Lady_Manners
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Catherine_Gray,_Lady_Manners,_by_Thomas_Lawrence.jpg

About the Book

She swore would never marry!

Georgiana Darcy is a lady with a secret! The last thing she wants is to return to London, but what else can she do when her brother and his wife make plans to spend the Christmas season in town. When Lizzy’s youngest sister, Lydia, joins them, Georgiana gains a confidante, but will Lydia’s outgoing nature cause problems when Lord Sele, son of a family friend reappears in Georgiana’s life?

As an insufferable boy, Lord Sele vowed he would marry Georgiana, but was his return from Ireland a coincidence or was his sole purpose to pursue her? He admits to desiring friendship, but Lydia is determined his desire is Georgiana and she will stop at nothing to see her best friend happily settled.

What is Georgiana to do when faced with the society she has managed to avoid for her entire adult life as well as the one man determined to change her mind about marriage? Will she be able to overcome her fears despite the spectre from the past that seems to be haunting her? Will she be forced to tell her secret and choose happiness or will someone from her past ruin everything?

About the Author

L.L. Diamond is more commonly known as Leslie to her friends and Mom to her three kids. A native of Louisiana, she has spent the majority of her life living within an hour of New Orleans until she vowed to follow her husband to the ends of the earth as a military wife. Louisiana, Mississippi, California, Texas, New Mexico, Nebraska, and now England have all been called home along the way. 

After watching Sense and Sensibility with her mother, Leslie became a fan of Jane Austen, reading her collected works over the next few years. Pride and Prejudice stood out as a favorite and has dominated her writing since finding Jane Austen Fan Fiction. 

Aside from mother and writer, Leslie considers herself a perpetual student. She has degrees in biology and studio art, but will devour any subject of interest simply for the knowledge. As an artist, her concentration is in graphic design, but watercolor is her medium of choice with one of her watercolors featured on the cover of her second book, A Matter of Chance. She is a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. Leslie also plays flute and piano, but much like Elizabeth Bennet, she is always in need of practice! 

Leslie’s books include Rain and Retribution, A Matter of Chance, An Unwavering Trust, The Earl’s Conquest, Particular Intentions and Particular Attachments.

SaveSave

Playing Cards with Jane Austen

It's my pleasure to let you know of a new Kickstarter project, celebrating Jane Austen!

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Eric Ligon is a graphic designer/typographer and Associate Dean at the University of North Texas in the College of Visual Arts and Design. By night, he is a lover of classic novels, and novel playing cards.

Eric is behind a Kickstarter campaign that celebrates Jane Austen with a custom designed pack of playing cards. 

These cards are rich in authentic period detail, designed using fashion images and needlework patterns from the early 1800s Ackermann's Repository of the Arts. 

Each suit represents a different book: Spades–Pride and Prejudice; Hearts–Emma; Clubs–Persuasion; and Diamonds–Sense and Sensibility. The royalty in each suit is represented by that novel's main characters. The images for all of the female characters come directly from Ackermann’s whilst each ace bears its book’s title and first edition typography. The needlework patterns became the basis for the line art on the back of the cards and on the tuck case. 

If you’d like to find out more about the extensive rewards on off for supporters of this Kickstarter campaign, as well as more about the project, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yasbfmtc.

Searching for a Carousel

It's a delight to welcome Bliss Bennet, on her search for a particular illustration!

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I don’t know about you, but I’m not a big fan of thrill rides. Whenever I visit a fair or an amusement park, it’s not the roller coasters with the most inversions or water slides with the steepest drops that catch my eye. No, it’s the friendly, colorful, and soothing carousels that draw me, bringing me back to my childhood, my mother’s arm safely holding me atop a beautiful prancing horse.

So when I was researching a fair scene for my latest Regency-set historical romance, A Lady without a Lord, I was delighted to discover this black and white drawing of what appears to be an early version of a merry-go-round, or a “round-about,” on the “Regency Illustrations” page of The Republic of Pemberly web site (http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/rgnclfil.html).

My mystery print, attributed to William Henry Pyne

 The caption of the illustration on that site is a little unclear about the actual source of the illustration, though. It reads:

Merry-go-round in an English village (probably part of a village fair), by W. H. Pyne, c. 1810. (It doesn’t conspicuously seem to be an enjoyment of the genteel classes)

Detail-oriented person that I am, I needed to know precisely when, and from what source, this illustration was taken. So I began to do a little digging. A web search for W. H. Pyne led me to the National Dictionary of Biography, which told me that Pyne was one William Henry Pyne, an English illustrator, painter, and writer who worked extensively on book projects with Rudolph Ackermann of Ackermann’s Repository Fame. Given the date listed in the caption, and comparing it to Pyne’s list of published books, I guessed that the print might be from a volume of The Microcosm of London; or, London in Miniature, which Ackermann published in three volumes from 1808 to 1810. Each chapter in this lavish guide describes a different major site in the English metropolis, from “Academy, Royal” to “Workhouse.” Volume one, which is available online through the Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/b22007076_0001), includes a chapter on Bartholomew Fair, and describes a print that includes a roundabout. Had I found my source? The online book did not reproduce the accompanying prints, alas, so I couldn’t be sure.

A little more searching revealed that while Pyne had written the descriptive texts that went along with the plates in The Microcosm, the actual prints were created by two other artists: architectural draughtsman Auguste Charles Pugh and comic artist Thomas Rowlandson. But the caption of the original piece said it was by Pyne, not just from one of Pyne’s books. So perhaps this wasn’t the right source after all?

More searching led me to Mathew Sangster’s web site Romantic London(http://www.romanticlondon.org/), a fascinating research project which “considers the ways in which the writers and works later grouped under the umbrella of Romanticism interacted with London’s communities and institutions while also examining a wide range of alternative approaches to representing and organising urban existence.” One of the texts that Sangster draws upon for his project is Pyne’s Microcosm. And his web site reproduces the prints from all three volumes!

A quick look at the print for the Bartholomew Fair chapter showed me that it was not, in fact, the same print I was looking for. But it did confirm that roundabouts of the same type existed at this time; if you look closely at the bottom left-hand corner, you can see a small merry-go-round with happy riders on board.

“Bartholomew Fair.” Auguste Charles Pugin and Thomas Rowlandson. Aquatint print from Microcosm of London volume 1 (1808). Full print and detail]

Where, then, had my original black and white illustration come from? My next step was to consult with the owner of The Republic of Pemberly web site, my colleague and fellow romance writer Myretta Robens (http://myrettarobens.com/), to see if she remembered anything about the illustration. She told me that most of the images on that page of the site had been contributed by a graduate student who had been working on a dissertation at the University of Texas at Austin at the time. A quick hop over to the UT Library’s catalog told me which books by W.H. Pyne were held by the library, which narrowed down my search considerably. I began to look at online descriptions (and occasionally actual copies) of each of those titles.

That search, in turn, led me to the web site for The Keep (http://www.thekeep.info/), an archive in Sussex, England that provides access to historical materials from the East Sussex Record Office, the Royal Pavilion & Museums Local History Collections, and the Special Collections of the University of Sussex. A page on the site by Jo Baines, “Fashion in the Archives: Baker Rare Books Collection—W. H. Pyne and The Costume of Great Britain,” features several color prints from Pyne’s 1804 book, The Costume of Great Britain—including a color rendering of the same black and white drawing with which I began my search. I had finally found my source!

A color print from William Henry Pyne’s The Costume of Great Britain (1804) 

No reproduction copy of The Costume of Great Britain appears to exist online, so I didn’t have a chance to read what Pyne wrote to accompany his picture. The book overall is intended, Baines writes, to “show readers from other countries ‘the political, statistical, and literary characteristics’ of Britain at the start of the 19^th century… by exploring occupations through costume.”  But Pyne also included some leisure activities, including the country fair round-about print. Baines writes “Pyne is very judgmental about some forms of entertainment—the round-about is described as ‘noisy,’ a ‘low amusement’ and creating ‘a scene of the utmost bustle and confusion.’”

The actual illustration, though, depicts riding the round-about as a fun activity, don’t you think? At least, the little girl on the left must think so; she appears to be asking her mother for money to ride. I wouldn’t want to be one of the poor fellows inside the round-about, though, the ones who had to push it to make it turn…

When all was said and done (and written), the round-about didn’t end up playing much of a role in A Lady without a Lord. But after all that research, I simply had to include a brief mention of it during the village fair scene.

Have you ever come across an illustration or work of art on the web that included no source information, or the wrong source? How did you go about finding its origins? 

Illustration Sources

1. The Republic of Pemberly: http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/rgnclfil.html

2. & 3. Romantic London.com: http://www.romanticlondon.org/microcosm-intro/

4. The Keep: http://www.thekeep.info/fashion-in-the-archives-baker-rare-books-collection-w-h-pyne-and-the-costume-of-great-britain/

 

Bliss Bennet writes smart, edgy novels for readers who love history as much as they love romance. Her Regency-set historical romance series, The Penningtons, has been praised by the Historical Novel Society’s Indie Reviews as “a series well worth following”; her books have been described by USA Today as “savvy, sensual, and engrossing,” by Heroes and Heartbreakers as “captivating,” and by The Reading Wench as having “everything you want in a great historical romance.” Her latest book is A Lady without a Lord.

Discovering Angelica Kauffman

Meet  LL Diamond and the marvellous art of Angelica Kauffman!

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Thank you so much for having me!

A few years ago, while working towards my art degree, I signed up for a class called Women in Art in Culture to fulfil a requirement towards my art history minor. I wasn’t certain what would be covered, but once the class began, I was fascinated by the strong and perservering women we studied. I still am and when I happen upon a painting by one of the wonderful artists, I tend to take a bit longer to admire the work of a woman who had to be immensely talented and willing to stand up to the social mores of the time to be recognised.

I even like to give a nod to a different artist when I write my novels by naming a modiste after a famous French artist such as Elizabeth Vigee-LeBrun, Madame Labille-Guiard, or Francoise Du Parc. A subtle nod and a small thing compared to their accomplishment, but just a bit of fun for me.

For today’s post, however, I decided to venture away from the French artists, and decided to share a quick overview of Angelica Kauffmann. I had never heard of her prior to the class, but each time I find a painting of hers in a National Trust house or a museum, I am reminded again of her incomparable talent.

Angelica Kauffman

Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, and John Constable are probably more familiar the average art buff than Angelica Kauffmann, yet Kauffmann was incredibly talented and produced art during the same time period, bucking convention and painting what she wished rather than what was expected of her as a woman, making her a founding member of the British Royal Academy and a sought-after portraitist in London.

Women from the beginning had a difficult time making a name for themselves in the art world. After the Renaissance, the French Royal Academy established what they called the “Hierarchy of Genres,” which prioritized certain types of paintings over others and establishing an order of importance of subject matter. The Royal Academy deemed histories the highest since they dealt with great events in human history as well as religion followed by portraiture, genre paintings (scenes of every day life), landscape, and still life. Believe it or not, this also made it more difficult for women to become a successful artist because acceptable subjects for ladies (still life and animals) were low on the Hierarchy of Genres, not to mention many ladies used watercolour, which was not considered a medium by the establishment of the time—it was considered craft.

Angelica Kauffman was born in Switzerland in 1741 and was considered a child prodigy. Her father and painter Johann Joseph Kauffmann, whose work consisted of murals and portraits, trained Kauffmann as she travelled through Switzerland, Italy, and Austria as his assistant.

Kauffmann, however, began achieving recognition in her own right during a three-year stay in Italy when she began painting histories and portraits, earning her an election to Rome’s Accademia di San Luca at the age of twenty-three.

Kauffmann’s success in painting histories is part of what makes her so interesting. While Kauffman was said to have studied from classical statues, women were not allowed to attend life-drawing classes. These classes, which featured nude models and were strictly attended only by men, were thought to offend the sensibilities of a lady. For most, this restriction limited the artist’s training and for some, the ability to paint a history or a great portrait. Kauffmann didn’t allow this to limit her, and instead, focused her work mostly on female subjects from mythology and classical history.

Portrait of Lady Foster

In 1766, Kauffmann moved to London where she gained popularity as a portrait painter to the aristocracy and also to a few royal patrons. During this time, Kauffmann and Mary Moser were the only two female artists among the founding members of the Royal Academy in London. The painting below, by Johann Zoffany, shows the founding members of the Royal Academy having a life-drawing session with two nude men as models. Note that Mary Moser and Angelica Kauffmann are not present among the men, but are depicted as paintings on the wall. Since the practice was not allowed in reality, they could not portray it in art, so two wonderful female artists are relegated to being works of art themselves.

Portraits of the Academicians of the Royal Academy

After a successful fifteen-year stay in London, Angelica Kauffmann returned to Italy with her husband, painter Antonio Zucchi. When she died in 1807, the famous sculptor Antonio Canova directed her funeral, basing it on the funeral of Raphael. A compliment indeed! 

Just a few places I have found Angelica Kauffman paintings around England:

Lady Elizabeth Christiana Hervey (later Lady Bess Foster) by Angelica Kauffmann can be found at Ickworth in Suffolk.

Henrietta Laura Pulteney (1766-1808)  can be found at the Holburne Museum in Bath

Saltram House in Devon has close to ten Kauffmann paintings including a portrait of Sir Joshua Reynolds and a number of histories (several are on the staircase used in Emma Thompson’s Sense and Sensibility), including Hector taking leave of Andromache and Ulysses discovering Achilles. 

(http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/results?SearchTerms=kauffmann+saltram&Collections=4f90ad65fffffe0775b3e6f13748ab57&Sort=collection)

About the Author

L.L. Diamond is more commonly known as Leslie to her friends and Mom to her three kids. A native of Louisiana, she has spent the majority of her life living within an hour of New Orleans until she vowed to follow her husband to the ends of the earth as a military wife. Louisiana, Mississippi, California, Texas, New Mexico, Nebraska, and now England have all been called home along the way. After watching Sense and Sensibility with her mother, Leslie became a fan of Jane Austen, reading her collected works over the next few years. Pride and Prejudice stood out as a favorite and has dominated her writing since finding Jane Austen Fan Fiction. 

Aside from mother and writer, Leslie considers herself a perpetual student. She has degrees in biology and studio art, but will devour any subject of interest simply for the knowledge. As an artist, her concentration is in graphic design, but watercolor is her medium of choice with one of her watercolors featured on the cover of her second book, A Matter of Chance. She is a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. Leslie also plays flute and piano, but much like Elizabeth Bennet, she is always in need of practice! Leslie’s books include Rain and Retribution, A Matter of Chance, An Unwavering Trust, The Earl’s Conquest, and Particular Intentions.

Sources:

https://nmwa.org/explore/artist-profiles/angelica-kauffman

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp02473/angelica-kauffmann

https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/artist-of-the-month-may-2014

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/angelica-kauffman-303

images from commons.wikimedia.org

Anglomania, hats and English ladies of the 1780s

It's my pleasure to welcome Virginia Hill of www.fashionarchaeology.com for a look at hats and English ladies in the 1780s!

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Joshua Reynolds, Lady Skipwith, 1787, Frick collection, USA.
Lady Skipwith wears an English gown.

There are moments in history when fashion and art just come together in the most splendid way imaginable. The period running from the late 1770s to the late 1780s is one of these. The art of portraiture was living a glorious epoch with the likes of Gainsborough, Reynolds, Romney and Raeburn, and fashion was living its heyday of Anglomania. London was, for a brief moment, the international fashion capital  for women’s fashions. Paris was taking its cue from English tailors regarding the riding coat (la redingote) and the English gown (la robe a l’anglaise) but above all it was soaking up every aspect of English culture, from literature to politics, to the idiosyncratic ways of the British aristocracy.  

Attributed to John Downman,
Miss Beloe, 1760s

The English upper class lived in the countryside and liked to dress sensibly for it (unlike their French counterpart who repudiated contact with nature in favour of the artifice of life at court). Hence the English lady took up wearing her riding clothes not just to sit on a horse, but also to go walking, shopping and do any practical activity which involved staying outdoors, requiring a certain degree of comfort in cut but also in fabric due to the uncertainties of the British climate. 

George Haigh, Countess of Effingham with gun and dogs, 1787, 

Yale Centre for British Art, USA

These clothes were not only practical they were also very masculine in nature. Their cut and fabric derived from the male coat and traditionally their construction was reserved for male tailors (i.e. the tailors of men’s clothes).

Print showing ladies practicing a  sport

Henry Pickering, Miss Dixie,
1750-55c, Nottingham Castle

The other very characteristic British element of fashion of this period is the hat. Continental women had not been particularly interested in hats in, in fact head coverings (especially wide brimmed ones) had been associated with the lower classes, particularly peasants working in the country side, up until this time.  English ladies made hat wearing an art in the second half of the eighteenth century. But from the 1750s onwards it became indispensable for a fashionable country lady to wear a light weight straw hat decorated with a coloured ribbon (later also feathers, flowers, etc.) . The trend soon spread to the city and hats were worn throughout the day. 

Even with the rising hairstyles of the later 1760s and the towering ‘heads’ of the 1770s, the hat wearing persisted. 

Gainsborough, Georgiana,
Duchess of Devonshire, 1787

In 1778 Evelina, the heroine of the Fanny Burney’s delightful novel by the same name, comes up to London for the first time and is introduced to the delights of shopping by her more sophisticated hostess. Evelina is particularly taken aback by the experience of going to a classy milliner’s where she is surrounded by ladies so dressed up  “I should rather have imagined they were making visits than purchases”. But what really astonished her was the presence of  male shop assistants “such men! So fisical! So affected!” and their arrogance regarding fashion “they recommended caps and ribbands with an air of so much importance, that I wished to ask them how long they had left off wearing them” (a veiled criticism of their effeminacy should be noted here).  In fact Evelina had unknowingly walked into the new craze that would take over London and indeed the world over the next few years: hats!

John Hoppner, a lady, 1786c, National Gallery of Victoria, Australia

By the 1780s hats were not just made of straw but of wool felt and beaver fur, the techniques generally used for male hat making were now applied to making huge, wonderful, show stopping creations for women. The bigger the better. 

George Romney, Lady Milnes, 1789c, Frick Collection, USA

Written content of this post copyright © Virginia Hill, 2016.