The Striped Dress

The history of striped fabric is a fascinating one: as far back as the Middle Ages it was worn by outcasts and criminals. It was later adopted by jugglers and hangmen amongst others to make them stand out from the crowd but during the 18th century stripes became a chic choice for ladies of fashion as seen in this delightful watercolour portrait of a wistful young lady. Her classical round gown is worn with a fichu and secured at the waist with cornflower blue sash to match her blue beads. Her hair is curled on top with a long chignon falling over her shoulder.

Dated to the 1780s/90s and painted on card, the watercolour is signed H. Seager who may have been a family friend or an itinerant artist. It has light age-browning, as would be expected, with a small blemish to the left that appears to be a misplaced drop of paint. The portrait is set in a lovely Georgian pressed brass frame with decorative borders and corner rosettes. These small early portraits are increasingly hard to come by.