Yay or Nay? Mary Boteler

What a daring crowd we have Naying an empress!  Maria Theresa's lace extravagance was not appreciated, or perhaps it was the color that truly killed it, either way she ended up with a Nay.  This week there has been much talk about the Royal Ascot and the hats that appeared with it.  So I can't help but put forth a selection this week that includes a hat fit for Ascot.

John Hoppner paints Mary Boteler (1786) in her double buckle picture hat complete with gown of ribbons and gauze and classic black choker.  Yay or Nay?

[Cecil Higgins Art Gallery]

The Obsession-Causing Portrait

What was it about painting the Duchess of Devonshire?

Her son, Hart, said none of her numerous portraits captured her true likeness.  She was the lady who made Thomas Gainsborough, an expert portraitist, throw down his paintbrush in frustration and claim the image defeated his talents.  Despite this setback, we can credit Gainsborough for perhaps the most famous depiction of Georgiana.  We also have Gainsborough to thank for creating a painting which became an obsession for many.

With a knowing look and a raised eyebrow she studies the viewer from under her powdered hair and cocked picture hat, a hat named after this very painting due to women rushing to their milliners asking for a hat just like as they saw in the picture.  The hat design was one of Georgiana's own, and had a resurgence in the Victorian era where it was known as Gainsborough hat.  The painting experienced a resurgence as well in the Victorian era when it vanished.  The famous painting we see today is only a portion of the original work that so frustrated Gainsborough in 1783.

A print showing the original layout

When Georgiana sat for Gainsborough in it was at the height of her popularity.  She was a fashion leader, active in politics, and a familiar face in the tabloids.  When she died prematurely in 1806 the nation mourned her death.  By 1830 she was all but forgotten.  So is the course of celebrity.  Somehow the painting once exhibited at the Royal Academy ended up in the possession of a simple schoolteacher who was vexed by the full-length portrait not fitting over her fireplace so she cut it down to just above the sitter's knee.  The painting then spent the next 40 or so years passing through various owners before the value was realized and it was auctioned at Christies in 1875.  The Morgan Family had every intention of buying the painting and if they had been successful the Duchess might be safe in the Morgan Library today.  Unfortunately Adam Worth, an American career criminal had already decided he must have the painting, no matter what the cost.  Once again the masterpiece was tragically cut down, this time from Worth stealing it while it hung on display. The weeping garden background that so typified Gainsborough's style was now lost forever from the painting.

1871 print showing where it was originally cut

Georgiana's portrait is now Worth's captive while he continues his crime sprees.  He creepily refers to it as "The Noble Lady" as if it isn't a inanimate object, and stores it in a false bottom trunk where it remains for about twenty-five years.  Five of those years Worth spent in jail and it was only when he was released he agree to let "The Lady...go home" in exchanged for some leniency.  Despite being hidden from the world, the portrait was well taken care of and in pristine condition  As soon as Pierpoint Morgan heard of the retrieval of the painting his father intended to buy he immediately forked over $150,000 for it, an unheard of amount for artwork at the time.  Morgan displays the Duchess to the public for a short period before doing the same thing Worth did when the painting was in his possession, keeping it all to himself.  Morgan selfishly refused to even let prints be made of the acclaimed, and now especially famous, painting.

Like Tolkien's Gollum and the ring, these men wanted to keep Gainsborough's portrait of Georgiana all to themselves, and like Tolkien's tale, the painting eventually made it to its rightful place and balance was restored.  In 1993 the portrait was once again up for auction and this time the then Duke of Devonshire knew where it needed to be.  As its former captor wished, the Duchess was finally going home.  The Duke and the Chatsworth trust bought the portrait so Georgiana could once again preside over her former home, Chatsworth, and be in the public eye rather than hidden away. After all, art is rarely meant to be hidden.

Picture Hat

I am probably reiterating myself by discussing the Picture Hat but it is not to be ignored in this exploration of haberdashery! Plus, it is an all-around fabulous hat. An invention of Georgiana herself, she wore her creation when she sat for Gainsborough in 1785. When the full-length painting was exhibited in the Royal Academy exhibit women immediately ran to their respected hat-makers demanding the same hat they had just seen. Due to the hat being so new they found themselves requesting the "the Duchess of Devonshire's picture hat" since they knew nothing of the hat except that fashion-guru Georgiana was wearing it. Frankly, that was all the incentive that they needed. Judging by the following fine portraits that appear after Georgiana's portrait's creation, you can see how the trend took off. The hat itself was very simple, which was possibly part of its appeal. It consisted of a very large brim, with a sash over the crown and topped off with large drooping ostrich feathers. The hat made a comeback in the Edwardian period and was renamed the "Gainsborough Hat." The following paintings were created between 1785 and 1788.

Finished!

I am so proud of myself, I just had to share! I finished my Picture Hat just in time for hat day at the track (excuse my bushleague hat stand/lamp). I'm going to be baking in my black outfit, and attempting not to gamble as best I can but at least I'll have my one of a kind hat! Of course I'm sure that once Lauren finishes her chapeau, my hat's fabulousness will be over-shadowed, but no matter! Being that I have little experience in sewing and no haberdashery skills whatsoever, this book proved to be very helpful in my quest. Now I kind of want to make another hat...

Mad Hatter

Although I would never claim to be a milliner or even seamstress by any means, my Picture Hat is coming along rather well. All I need is some massive feathers and I'll be done. This is how it looks so far. I wasn't exactly sure how to accurately do the bow seeing as how it is left out of the portrait.

Here is a better image of Michael O'Connor's (the costume designer for The Duchess) interpretation of the Picture Hat.

Picture Hat Quotable

I ran across this quote while reading Party Monster by James St. James,

"But then, of course, there was a fleeting glimpse of a grand courtroom entrance...me, in a large veiled picture hat over a tastefully tailored navy dress."

You can probably guess my reaction! On a non-18th century note, James St. James was a celebutante of New York City, and still remains a fashion icon and amazing author. It is only fitting that one of Georgiana's fashion trends is mentioned by him (by the 18th c name and not Victorian). His entrance into the club scene in the 1980s is comparable to hers to London society in the 1770s; they both caused a fuss in the most glamorous of ways. So if you have already noticed a few Party monster or James St. James references peppering my posts here and there, you now know why!

The Picture Hat

One of Georgiana's numerous fashion achievements was her invention and popularization of what was known at the time as The Picture Hat. When she sat for Gainsborough in 1783, Georgiana wore this heavenly haberdashery which she had designed herself and after the was painting exhibited at the Royal Academy the hat became all the rage. Numerous women went straight to their milliners requesting "the picture hat" that they has seen at the Royal Academy. Whether they actually liked the oversized feathered and ribboned black hat, or were only imitating the fashionably elite is not known. But this hat resurfaced in the following century among Victorian women now called the "Gainsborough Hat".

Lauren and I are making a gallant effort to recreate our favorite 18th century hats as best we can. Under completion they will be unveiled at hat day at the Saratoga Racetrack. Whenever that is. Some bloggers have successfully been able to recreate this hat. Given my limited experience in the dangerous life of haberdashery, this could turn out to be very interesting. Below are some pictures I've found of this fabulous hat.

circa 1909

















From the upcoming film The Duchess which I have yet to obsess upon in the blog. Notice the skull-like quality to Kiera's face, so 18th century