A portrait of Queen Charlotte is one of the highlights of a large-scale exhibition aimed at revealing life in the 18th century through the fashions of the time.
A rarely exhibited full-length painting by Gainsborough, depicting the Queen in a magnificent gown, became part of Style & Society: Dressing The Georgians, with surviving clothing and works by Zoffany and Hogarth.
These items give insight into what Georgians wore, from the utilitarian dresses of the laundry maids to the glittering gowns worn in court, and show the period from the accession of George I in 1714 to George 4 in 1830. It represents the change of clothes until the death of the world.
The exhibition will show how Georgians led many cultural trends as we know them today, including the birth of the first stylists and influencers, the birth of the professional fashion press, and the development of shopping as a leisure activity. I’m here.
Exhibition curator Anna Reynolds said:
“The Royal Collection is so rich in visual representations of this era, and the exhibition is a wonderful opportunity to share them with the public.
“Exhibiting the paintings alongside the surviving items of dress gives us a glimpse into how the garments were made, how they felt to wear, and how artists approached the challenge of representing Georgian fashion in paint. It helps you understand what you’ve been working on and adds an extra layer of insight.”
As the courtly style became increasingly obsolete in the 18th century, new forums of fashionable displays emerged: pleasure gardens, coffee houses and theaters.
Knee breeches were worn by men for most of the 18th century. The exhibition featured a Gainsborough portrait of the famous musician Johann Christian Fischer in fashion.
By the end of the Georgian era, however, upper-class men began to adopt the trousers previously worn by the working class.
The exhibition, which runs from 21 April to 8 October at Buckingham Palace’s Queen’s Gallery, will also explore advances in hair care, cosmetics, eyewear and dentistry.
In the late 18th century, very tall and wide hairstyles became fashionable for women, and a whole new profession developed: the hairdresser.
The exaggerated fashion of this era was a gift to caricaturists, coinciding with what has come to be known as the Golden Age of Caricature.
In a never-before-exhibited cartoon, New Invented Elastic Breechs, 1784, Thomas Rowlandson depicts a large man being optimistically hand-handled into small leather trousers by two tailors. I’m here.