Revolutionising Fashion

The frivolous and extravagant fashions of the Anceien Regime were already in decline at the onset of the French Revolution in 1789. In the ensuing years, a taste for simpler, classically inspired clothing migrated across from Revolutionary France to Britain. This display explores the depiction of fashionable dress in an array of elegant 18th- and early 19th-century British miniatures by the likes of Richard Cosway, George Engleheart and John Smart. On loan from two outstanding private collections, these delicate little paintings are complemented by prints and drawings from the Barber's own collection.