A new exhibition at The Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace will reveal life in the 18th century through fashion.
Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians will have over 200 works from the Royal Collection, such as paintings, prints and drawings and surviving examples of clothing and accessories – from the practical dress of servants to the gowns worn at the court.
One of the major showpieces will be a full-length portrait of Queen Charlotte by Thomas Gainsborough, which is usually in Windsor Castle. For the first time, Queen Charlotte’s book of psalms will be on display, covered in fabric from one of her dresses.
Several items from Queen Charlotte’s jewellery box will also be on display, such as a diamond ring featuring a miniature of her husband, King George III.
Anna Reynolds, curator of Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians, said: “During this period, we start to see court dress lagging behind street style, with people from across a much broader social spectrum than ever before setting fashion trends. The Royal Collection is so rich in visual representations from this period, and the exhibition is a wonderful opportunity to share them with the public. Showing paintings alongside surviving items of dress really adds an extra layer of insight, helping us to understand how clothing was constructed, what it felt like to wear, and how artists approached the challenge of representing Georgian fashion in paint.”
Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians is at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, 21 April – 8 October 2023.
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