The books, globe, rolled documents in the sitter’s left hand, quill in his right, and stack of papers on the desk all signal a man of serious intellect and scholarly pursuit. This portrait shows William Roscoe (1753–1831), a Liverpool banker, lawyer, historian, art collector, poet, botanist, and writer. More importantly, he was one of Britain's … Continue reading Gazing at a Hero: William Roscoe, Charles James Fox, and the Fight to Abolish the Slave Trade
George IV
A Controversy in Color: Finding Harmony in Art
The world had grown too chaotic to navigate. Manhattan held an allure for me, ever since my first visit as a wide-eyed 16-year-old. But maybe it wasn’t the best place to go in search of refuge. When I was barely 19, I moved there anyway, only to see my troubles multiply. My uncle, a Madison … Continue reading A Controversy in Color: Finding Harmony in Art
From Tampongate to Taxpayer Beggars: How 18th-Century Royals Invented Modern Messes
Queen Elizabeth II stood as a pillar against the endless stream of royal scandal. Although she presented herself as a stalwart role model, she couldn’t reliably steer her own children onto a noble path. As much as we wish we could forget the screaming banner headlines in 1993 about Tampongate, it’s hard to purge the … Continue reading From Tampongate to Taxpayer Beggars: How 18th-Century Royals Invented Modern Messes
Sex, Scandals, and Caricatures
An embarrassment of riches was bequeathed to us from the paintbrushes of Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), a founder and the first president of the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Sir Joshua Reynolds, Self-portrait c 1780© Royal Academy of Arts / Photographer: John Hammond His portraits depict every luminary who lived, loved, fought, performed, wrote, … Continue reading Sex, Scandals, and Caricatures
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