Francis Hayman paints Mrs John Badger Weller in her classic open gown of pink and pearl. Yay or Nay?
[UK National Collections]
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Yay or Nay? Mrs Weller
It was another close call with last week's Yay or Nay but the Duchess of Alba survived with a Yay, amongst much debate. Honestly, I was surprised how much flack her hair got. I was thinking of asking her where she got her extensions! This week we are going to jump back into some classic dress of the century and some more contained hair.
Francis Hayman paints Mrs John Badger Weller in her classic open gown of pink and pearl. Yay or Nay?
Francis Hayman paints Mrs John Badger Weller in her classic open gown of pink and pearl. Yay or Nay?
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I say yay. The pink is beautiful and the whole outfit is quite elegant, though simple.
ReplyDeleteShe is an all over Yay! for me. The silver and pink make me wish I had her lovely gown and stomacher to wear for Mothers' Day. Well done, Mrs. Weller and, by the way, congratulations Heather on the blogiversary (forgive me for missing it).
ReplyDeleteWell...
ReplyDelete1) She wasn't a particularly attractive woman, and;
2) The artist didn't help her any! but;
3) Her frock is gorgeous, just sublime. Great colours for her, lovely lines overall. It looks like the dress that inspired a thousand little girls princess ballgown fantasies. A softer hairstyle would help her face, but that is the only thing that mars the perfection of the ensemble, so definitely YAY!
To be fair to Mrs Weller we could say she has a long face like our SJP!
ReplyDeleteThe artist didn't flatter her much but beauty , eye, beholder and all that!
Her dress is really really pretty, something I would have like to worn if I had been in that neck of the woods at that period in time
YAY!
I beautiful example of less is more. Yay!
ReplyDeletei say yay! the dress looks wonderful!
ReplyDeleteYay!! Beautiful dress..
ReplyDeleteIts a Yay from me she looks sweet in pink! yet there is something missing in her hairstyle.
ReplyDeleteOooooooh! Yay, most definitely! I so want that dress! ;-D
ReplyDeleteYay! Very simple and elegant. Not a fan of her cap though.
ReplyDeleteI am partial to the dress and the pianoforte - but not so much to her - something amiss about that waist......)( however, grudgingly give it a Yay.
ReplyDeleteOh yay for sure! The outfit is quite simply divine.
ReplyDeleteAs for the fashion, I give it a yay. Like Dreamstress said, its like a princess dress! very pretty :)
ReplyDeleteBut my first thought of Mrs. Weller was "God, the artist didn’t do much to soften her features!" In fact, it looks like her face wasn’t supposed to be part of the original portrait. It looks like it was just added on. Though I notice that a lot with old paintings. The persons face is painted a different shade then the rest of their skin, and it doesn’t fit the rest of the painting.
Exquisite. The dress floats around her like a wish just spoken. The wearer? Well, we can't win them all, but I see her as potentially humorous and cheeky.
ReplyDeleteI love the dress - definite yay!
ReplyDeleteLisa
yay to the dress but absoulutely nay to the lady and the painters inability to take arstistic license. She's so small and almost bug eyed. But its not her fault. She does know how to dress, the outfit is perfection. I would enjoy it more with maybe a bit taller or wider hairstyle to have continuity with the larger skirt, but not so much as to make her face look even smaller, how dreadful would that be?
ReplyDeleteI say "yay." Not the most beautiful painting, but lovely dress.
ReplyDeleteI don't wear much pink myself, but I give this whole thing a Yay---it looks lovely on her and is the best part of the painting. And I second/third/etc. those who pointed out its simple elegance.
ReplyDeleteYay for sure, although she could personally use a little uncontained hair to soften that look!
ReplyDeleteYay! I love the color combination, the pink, to me, is an example of her personality shining through, a good sense of fashion and color. The fabric is just delicious...I think the hair is good for this point in the 18th century, as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think the artist did a better job portraying her than Goya did with his sitter. ;)
I say YAY!
ReplyDeleteNot only are the colors a good combination, but the dress is elegant but simple. I like that!
Birdlike and dainty she may be, but she follows the 2nd quarter fashions to a T, and shows off her high (but not noble) status to perfection. A white gown of sumptuous silk with a shimmery pink petticoat, topped off with a sheer apron, declaring her leisurely status. I know many criticize her hair, but under a close-fitting cap is what fashion calls for a married lady of her status. A Yay it is!
ReplyDeleteWhile I am not a huge fan of her hair and cap, they are not distracting enough to ruin the dress, which is gorgeous. Yay! Her waist size does seem a little odd, though...
ReplyDeletenay. too pink for me. I suppose the shape of her gown is fine, but I'm just not the sort to like white and pink.
ReplyDeleteYay. The dress is beautiful--an exquisite color combination. I would prefer is she had a more embellished hair style sans hat. But dress is gorgeous.
ReplyDelete