Fame & Faces

The prominence and popularity of portraiture during the eighteenth century meant that the public profiles of elite families, particularly those of privileged women, reached unprecedented levels. In some cases - as with Emma Hamilton - sitters could even rise in social standing as a result of skilful portraits and the fame that ensued, signalling the emergence of the modern-day celebrity as we know it. Portraits celebrated the virtues of women as mothers or accomplished ladies, and significant moments in life were commemorated with a portrait: engagements; marriage; maternity; election to a club - bringing women into the public realm at a time of expanding female social and intellectual opportunities. But portraiture was soon followed by caricature, and there is a sharp contrast between the grand manner portraits, conversation pieces, and satirical prints - which had a moralising function. Fame & Faces explores the portrayal of women in the Reign of George III, a defining age of British art.