During the Georgian and Regency periods oil paintings and sculpture dominated the public arena for portraiture. Whether in art exhibitions or the principal rooms of town and country residences, more private portraits were being created for domestic consumption and display.
Portrait miniatures painted on ivory were worn as jewellery on the body or preserved in cabinets; pastels with their fragile but brilliant surfaces were protected under glass and within gilt frames; while drawings, sometimes touched with watercolour, were framed or kept in albums and portfolios to be shown to friends and family.
This section of the website allows you to obtain a feel for the exhibition before visiting. Take your time exploring some of the show’s major themes, and enjoy a preview of nine highlighted works.
