 |
| Joseph Blackburn Portrait of Elizabeth Hughes 1774 oil on canvas The Wilson, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire |
 |
| Richard Brompton Portrait of Susannah, Lady Isham ca. 1773 oil on canvas Lamport Hall, Northamptonshire |
 |
| follower of Richard Cosway Lady writing a Letter ca. 1790 oil on panel Chawton House Library, Hampshire |
 |
| Nathaniel Dance-Holland Portrait of Queen Charlotte ca. 1768-69 oil on canvas National Trust, Uppark House, Sussex |
 |
| Thomas Lawrence Portrait of Queen Charlotte 1789 oil on canvas National Gallery, London |
 |
| Arthur Devis Portrait of Lucy Watson, Mrs Thornton 1755 oil on canvas National Trust, Uppark House, Sussex |
 |
| Thomas Gainsborough Portrait of Mary, Countess Howe ca. 1764 oil on canvas Kenwood House, London |
 |
| John Hoppner The Honourable Elizabeth Ingram ca. 1789 oil on canvas Temple Newsam House, Leeds |
from The Tragedy of Hats
is that you can never see the one you're wearing,
that no one believes the lies they tell,
that they grow to be more famous than you,
that you could die in one but you won't be buried in it.
* * *
That they make us mimic classic gestures,
inspiring pleasure first, then pity and then fear.
See how we tip them, hold them prettily against the wind
or pull them off and mop our sweaty brows
like our beloved foolish dead in photographs.
Like farmers plowing under the ancient sun.
– Clarinda Harriss (1999)
 |
| Thomas Hudson Portrait of Anne, Countess of Northampton ca. 1759-60 oil on canvas Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
 |
| Charles Jervas Portrait of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough ca. 1715 oil on canvas Government Art Collection, London |
 |
| Philippe Mercier Anne Fairfax as a Shepherdess ca. 1750 oil on canvas Fairfax House, York |
 |
| Henry Pickering Portrait of Mrs Rowe 1752 oil on canvas York City Art Gallery |
 |
| John Shackleton Edith Phelips, second wife of Carew Hervey Mildmay ca. 1744-49 oil on canvas Government Art Collection, London |
 |
| Jean-Louis Voille Lady with a Book 1764 oil on canvas Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham |
 |
| Richard Wilson Portrait of a Lady: Maid of Honour ca. 1748-50 oil on canvas National Museum Cardiff (Wales) |