This exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery in London (21 April–8 October) brings together more than 200 artworks and objects to explore how developments in trade, travel and technology during the 18th century had a profound effect on the fashions of the Georgian period. Works on show include Gainsborough’s portrait of Queen Charlotte (c. 1781), depicting the Queen in a hooped dress; it is displayed alongside a gown of a similar style on loan from the Fashion Museum in Bath. Elsewhere, William Hogarth’s portrait of the actor David Garrick and his wife, the dancer Eva-Maria (c. 1757–64), reveals how the theatre became a place for displays of fashion. Eva-Maria is dressed in a gown of canary yellow – a colour popular at the time for its association with the Chinese emperors. Find out more on the Queen’s Gallery’s website.
Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary
Johanna Christian Fischer (1774–80), Thomas Gainsborough. Photo: Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023
Court suit, possibly French (c. 1760s). Photo: © Fashion Museum Bath
David Garrick with his wife Eva-Maria (c. 1757–64), William Hogarth.Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023
British court dress (c. 1740–60). Photo: © Fashion Museum Bath