An Irish Colleen

The Irish artist Frederick Buck may be best known for his portraits of officers commissioned as they passed through the busy port of Cork on their way to foreign campaigns, but his portraits of ladies are also nonetheless distinctive.

Buck was active during the Regency period when ladies’ fashions moved away from tightly laced corsets and full skirts to follow classical ideals that celebrated the natural figure. Dresses fell loosely from under the bustline to create a graceful silhouette. Sometimes referred to as the ‘age of undress’, sheer fabrics were popular, arms were left bare and bosoms revealed. Hair styles too were less fussy with cropped hair and natural unpowdered curls being the style of choice for the young. Fashion magazines were launched around this time so it became much easier to keep up with all the latest trends.

So this young lady in the simplicity of her dress and natural hair is representative of the period. Sadly, her name and her story have though been lost to history.

The portrait is set in the original gold frame that is glazed on the back to reveal brown hair plaited with a strand of blonde hair.