Modesty Prevailing

Regency ladies’ clothing was renowned for its classic simplicity and enhanced freedom of movement that came with the release from corsets. This lady is wearing one of these lightweight short-waisted gowns with a modesty-protecting fill-in with a lace-edged collar. Her abundant curls are secured with a broad bandeau.

The profile is delicately painted on card in shades of black and grey with a touch of gum arabic to heighten the ribbon bandeau. It is attributed to William Hamlet the Younger on stylistic grounds and is presented in a traditional papier-mâché frame with convex glass and a star hanger.

Born in 1799, William was a second generation silhouette artist working from a studio located near the seasonally popular Pump Rooms in Bath. William Jnr died in 1815 whilst in his mid-thirties. He pre-deceased his father and left his wife with five children aged between 2 and 13 with a sixth child born three months later.