Publisher's Synopsis
This is a study of portrait painting and what the paintings tell about 18th-century social history. The author's aim is to introduce the 18th century portrait according to the sitter and to interpret the ideas and meanings contained in the portrait to show what they tell about contemporary society and culture. The artists chosen from a wide range of sources show portrait painting at its high point in the history of British art. They include Reynolds, Kneller, Gainsborough, Hogarth, Lely, Ramsay, Raeburn, Romney and Stubbs along with less well-known painters.
