Yay or Nay? Mrs. Newbery

Huzzah! Elijah Boardman was able to successfully represent the Colonies is a positive light. Sometimes simplicity with just the right colors is the best combination. Is that the case with this week's selection. I apologize for the teasing size which is due to the sitting being too cheap to pay for a larger size. Perhaps you may feel she cheapened out on her outfit as well?



George Romney paints the earthly Mrs. Newbery (1782-4) in her simple brown gown, complete with fabric buttons, pale green ribbons, and plenty of white muslin.

[National Museum Cardiff]

Perdita's Muffs

Mary Robinson, like Georgiana, was a giant fashion icon in the later part of the century. Like Lady G and her french counterpart, Perdita wearing anything would cause a demand for that article of clothing so the papers followed her every move, both in her personal and fashion life.

One of the rages Perdita began was for a series of muffs. Given, muffs had been around for quite a while and many people used them on cold days to warm their hands, but a muff Perdita used was more appealing to the masses. In the chilliness of March, 1782, The Morning Herald reported,

"The Cataract Muff is no sooner exhibited on the arm of Perdita than a rivalship in that article of dress was planned...At length a genius of the superior order produced the tablature muff..."

Perhaps having Romney immortalize her wearing a muff the year before confirmed her as an authority on the clothing article. So take a tip from Perdita, if you want to be a trendsetter, make sure you are seen and photographed often to get the credit you may or may not deserve.

Yay or Nay? Miss Sarah Rodbard

Last week we were almost close to a unanimous agreement: Yay on the outfit, Nay on the face. Poor Princess Luisa. Perhaps we've spent too much time with royalty, or maybe just Hapsburgs. Let's try something different and judge a title-less British lady on her ability to pull together an outfit.


George Romney paints Sarah Rodbard (1784), in a simple, long-sleeved white gown, complete with gold shoulder accents and a pale blue ribbon around the waist.

[National Museums Liverpool]

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George Romney, Mrs. Georgiana Smyth and her Son, 1780

The Enlightened Family Portrait, Part 1 Women and Children

There were many means of expressing a sitter's sense of Enlightenment in portraits. One of the most popular accessories a sitter used was their family. Family portraits in the 18th century weren't necessarily commissioned because the sitter wanted to immortalize their children or save money with a group portrait, it was a means of immortalizing yourself as a creature of Enlightenment. Of course, not everyone had selfish motives by getting a family portrait, but the rise in their popularity can be attributed to this trend. The painters who thought outside the box with the composition and the sitters' interactions with each other produced some of the greatest paintings in this genre. After all, anyone could snap a family portrait at Sears but is that who celebrities go to when they want theirs? No, they tend to want something creative that shows a hint of candour and love. The same concept went for artists in 18th century and it is what made painters, such as Joshua Reynolds. See why these painters made the big bucks:



Joshua Reynolds, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and Her Daughter, 1784

John Hoppner, Harriet, Viscountess Duncannon and her Two Sons, 1787


George Romney, Jane, Duchess of Gordon and her Son, the Marquis of Huntly, 1778

Joshua Reynolds, Lady Cockburn and Her Three Eldest Sons, 1777

Joshua Reynolds, Lady Smith and Children, 1787


George Romney, The Gower Family, 1776-7

Joshua Reynolds, Miss Cocks and Her Niece, 1789

Tart of the Week: Emma Lady Hamilton

Today is a special day so it deserves a very special tart. Emy Lyon was born into poverty on April 26, possibly in the year 1764. She didn't have much going for her but she was gorgeous. At the age of 12 she began work as a maid but was fired for spending a drunken night with officers (officers!) from Coxheath. At 13 she was streetwalker in Soho, selling herself in order to keep from starving. The Madame, Mrs. Kelly must have seen her lovely face and saw profit all over it because she soon became a high-class prostitute of Kensington Gardens, no more rags for her! Her face made impressions on most everybody; in 1802 the Prince of Wales told Elizabeth Vigee-Lebrun how he had seen the most beautiful girl in rags years ago whom he later recognized as Lady Hamilton upon formal introduction. It has even been rumored she was one of the quack, Dr Graham's Goddesses of Health who would model half-nude at his temple of health.

By 1781 Emily (Hart), as she was now known, had moved in with Sir Henry Featherstonhaugh. She mostly served as a someone for him to have sex with when he came home from hunting, but the 15 year old thought she was in love. In August of that year Sir Henry tired of her and literally deposited her in London. Unfortunately, this is when Emma realized she was pregnant. Not knowing where to turn to, she wrote to Sir Henry's friend, the Honorable Charles Greville. Grenville agreed to help her, and so began one of the most complicated and bad relationships in history that it will make many feel better about their own.

In order for Emma to gain Greville's help, Emma had to agree to do whatever he said, including give up the child. The naive Emma (well, to be honest she was also kind of stupid) soon became Greville's live-in love slave. And she enjoyed every minute. Greville wasn't evil, he was just a control freak. He manipulated Emma to the point where the lovesick girl did everything she could do to please him. As much as she wanted to be a mother to her child, she wanted to please Greville more. Greville, being a second son, never had any money but had an extreme interest in collecting antiques. This hobby of his came from his old uncle, Sir William Hamilton, the British ambassador to Naples. Greville's mistress was more than he could afford, despite him teaching her his thrifty ways. She was just another prized Classical antique to him, but what if he could use her to his advantage....Grenville began selling Emma...as a model! And boy did she sell, George Romney practically fell in love with her. Emma like the attention modeling gave her too; Greville was too stuffy to pay her the attention she craved. By this time Emma was known as Emma Hart and making quite a name (or face) for herself as the gorgeous model. One of her admirers was Greville's uncle, Sir William, an old and lonely widower.

Greville's finances were not getting any better so he did what he he usually did with any of his antiques when he was strapped for cash, he sold Emma to another collector, his uncle. Emma had no idea that she was part of the transaction to pay of Greville's debts. She thought she was just taking a nice little vacation to Naples with nice Sir Hamilton. You can image her upset when she found out Greville wasn't coming back to get her. Her distressed love letters to Greville at this time are some of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching love letters, despite her crude writing. Eventually Emma did fall in love with the senior citizen. She once again, was an antique collectable, but this time she was one to be shown off and decked in finery. At gatherings, she would perform her "Attitudes" in which she would strike classical poses in Greek gown. She met many fine and famous people, although many of the uppity British aristocratic ladies refused to see her since she was a kept mistress. These ladies did not include Georgiana, her sister, mother, or Bess, who found Emma quite charming and beautiful despite her crude way of speaking. Eventually Sir William married Emma in London in 1791; he was 60 she was 26.

Their marriage was a happy one. Emma even became a close friend of Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples. It was even Emma who delivered the last correspondence of Marie Antoinette to her sister Maria Carolina. But the happy marriage could not last forever. Emma increasingly became fatter and fatter, taking the charm out of her beauty. She also increasingly became more full of herself.

The celebrated hero Admiral Lord Nelson became one of the celebrities who visited the Hamiltons. At this point, he wasn't the gorgeous hero-type, he was missing an arm, teeth, and God knows what else. Emma wasn't much of a catch herself do to her extreme weight-gain. Despite this, Horatio Nelson fell head over heels in love with Emma. They two conducted their affair before the eyes of both their spouses and pretty-much all of England. When Emma became pregnant with Nelson's child, no one even noticed because she was so fat. The child, slyly name Horatia, was also sent away, much to Nelson's chagrin. Sir William may have never known about the child due to Emma's sneaky ways but he would have to be blind to not notice the affair. There are many debates about whether he allowed it due to his respect for Nelson or possibly just wanted Emma to be happy.

Sir William died in 1803 and Nelson followed in 1805. Emma was left alone and led a rather depressing an outcast life until her death from liver failure in 1815. With no one left to love her, including her own daughter who hated her, she drank herself to death.

The Frick and its Fabulous Collection

Oh how I love the Frick Collection. I love it so much I'm actually a member. So today I took advantage of my membership and took a spin around this awesome House/Museum. Here are some of the awesome British treasures the collections owns.

The Mall in St. James's Park, c. 1783 by Thomas Gainsborough
A blog topic in itself so I should keep this short, Gainsborough displays the fashionable trotting area of English gentry, St James Park. It has been suggested that the ladies in the center are George III's daughters which would make sense due to Gainsborough's fondness for the royal family. However....they are rather fashionable...I think the inclusion of the small dog hints at Georgiana, and points to the ladies being members of the Ton. Further fuel to my fire is the Pomeranian accompanying the lady on the right. I have a feeling that this hints that this fashionable lady is Perdita Robinson, due to a similar dog being in the full-length Gainsborough had painted of her. But then again, Gainsborough was very fond of dogs.

Grace Dalrymple Elliott, c.1782 by Thomas GainsboroughGuess who else I saw! The illustrious Miss Dalrymple is housed at the Frick.

The Hon. Frances Duncombe, c.1777 by Thomas GainsboroughA lovely Gainsborough Full-length of Mrs Duncombe in the Van Dyck style. The Honorable Frances was one of the many victims of a gambling husband. He gambled away her fortune and went to debtors prison as a consequence.

Lady Hamilton as ‘Nature’, 1782 by George RomneyMy lips are sealed about Emma because I have big plans for this tart! This is one of the many gorgeous portraits Romney painted of her. It is probably one of my favorites, but it's too hard to pick; there's just too many!

I was disappointed to not see this AMAZING full-length. Some day I'm gonna have to harass them into letting me see it. I was too hot to be bothered today though.

Charlotte Lady Milnes, 1788, by George Romney
However, I can't stay angry with the Frick. It's really a must to go see. I didn't even talk about the French work! Believe me, thats worth seeing by itself!

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George Romney, Lady Altamont, 1788

I wish I could find some information about this lady because I find her portrait just hypnotizing. She has such a unique look to her. She reminds me of a British Nerfertiti actually. Romney's smoky brush strokes mixing with the blue accents of her skin cause a calming, mysterious atmosphere. What I can't take my eyes away from is Lady Altamont's fabulous hair and dress! I only wish this was a full-length so we could see her whole gown.