1770-1779
1770s fashion simplified the earlier decades styles for both womenswear and menswear, leading to new fashions that exemplified the ‘casual’ aesthetic that had taken hold.
Tag: 1770s
1778 – Thomas Gainsborough, Mrs. Grace Dalrymple Elliott
This portrait of Mrs. Grace Dalrymple Elliott (1754?-1823) by English portraitist Thomas Gainsborough was commissioned by Mrs. Elliott’s lover, the Earl of Cholmondeley. First exhibited at Royal Academy, London in 1778, the composition and treatment are reminiscent of Van Dyck.
polonaise
A style of dress popular in the 1770s-80s, with a bodice cut all in one and often with the skirts looped up. The polonaise also came back into fashion during the 1870s.
1778 – David Martin, Portrait of Dido Elizabeth Belle Lindsay and Lady Elizabeth Murray
This 18th-century grand manner portrait of two cousins juxtaposes fashionable turquerie with luxurious but conventional children’s clothing.
1770s – Portrait of a Lady Holding an Orange Blossom
This young woman dressed in blue silk edged with lace demonstrates fashionable simplicity for the 1770s and may have lived in the bustling port city of Amsterdam.
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