Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians

Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians reveals what we can learn about society in Georgian Britain through the sumptuous fashionable dress of the era. Explore the history of Georgian clothing through the unique holdings of the Royal Collection, from masterpieces by such artists as Gainsborough and Hogarth, drawings, miniatures, fashion periodicals, swords and jewellery to surviving examples of carefully preserved garments and accessories.

As well as the world of high fashion, including clothing commissioned, worn and collected by the royal family and their circle, discover nonelite dress and a surprising abundance of objects that tell a story of revolution: Queen Charlotte adopting the aprons traditionally associated with working-class dress and the Prince of Wales wearing Whig buff and blue inspired by American Revolutionary ideals.

From textiles and techniques of production, cleaning and dyeing to the Georgian shopping experience, enter the world of fashion for Georgian men, women and children, cosmetics and hairstyles, court ceremony and ritual, clothing worn in battle and influences from Europe and afar, including Britain’s love–hate relationship with France and materials imported from China and beyond.

Published to accompany an exhibition opening in March 2023 at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, this book also serves as a standalone guide to the dress of the Georgian period.