Portrait of the Week - Elizabeth Goldthwait Cummings Bacon

Dearest Friends,
I'd like to introduce you to our sitter of the week, Elizabeth Goldthwait Cummings Bacon. This portrait, completed by Copley in 1769 is in the Brooklyn Museum.  She was the daughter of Ezekiel and Elizabeth Goldthwait who also sat for Mr Copley and we'll be featuring her mother's portrait in a future blog.  She was 37 when she sat for this painting.

Elizabeth Goldthwait Cummings Bacon by Copley from the Brooklyn Museum

Elizabeth was married twice, both times to ministers.  Her marriage to Revered Bacon was announced in the Boston News Letter on November 11, 1771

She is wearing the heart-shaped cap seen in the late 1760's / early seventies.   Her handkerchief is exquisite - and once again, we see this lovely sheerness that barely hides her decolletage. And that lace trim!!!!  Is it me or does the neckline of her gown seem really low?

She has about her neck a terrific multi-strand seed pearl necklace, tied in the back with a bow, it's so big it covers most of her neck. Anyone see a pattern here with the gowns we are seeing?  Stomacher front, this one silk satin, with sleeve ruffles and appears, little other ornamentation.

Another wonderful look to strive for!  Enjoy

YH&OS,

Mrs. S

From Zero To Overload: Miss Kristin

or, how Miss Kristin can't contain her gown excitement.

I have suddenly been walloped by a big pink rubber mallet called Inspiration!

My dearest Mrs. Peabody, who has taken it upon herself to oversee myself and Miss Wendy's appropriate attire, has found several pieces of portraiture that have my head spinning and swimming in all things "Pretty Silk Gowns!" Adding the two Copley portraits I have been studying through correspondence with Miss Wendy, I feel as if I am on 18thc. overload! (Dear readers, this is not a bad thing!)

While I may be getting ahead of myself here, picking out a gown to reproduce before talking about basic elements, I think it relieves a large chunk of research, time, and maybe stress and anxiety, especially since it's already been "approved." Plus, having a point of inspiration already chosen leaves me time and energy to devote to other research--such as a shift, stays, stockings, on and on.

Here are the portraits I have been looking at, by Copley:


On the left, Mrs. Thomas Gage (Margaret Kemble), and on the left, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Miffin (Sarah Morris). Click on the photos to be taken to their pages at the Timken Gallery of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, respectively.

Teaching Moment! 

Miss Kristin has chosen a gown from a portrait that she likes without realizing that it is inventive costume used by the artist and is not a real gown.  This variation would be considered "Turkish", and was chosen to impart timelessness to the portrait, Copley was copying an artistic trend/fad in England.  As a newcomer, Miss Kristin doesn't  know about fantasy dress in portraits.  Mrs. Peabody

And, the two portraits Mrs. Peabody has picked out, one from the Connecticut Historical Society and the other from the Metropolitan Museum of Art:


Look these over, if you will my dear readers, and anticipate my next post: why these, and maybe, which one!

Mrs. Miles is Perusing Copley (In the nicest possible way)

Choosing my clothing

As I was perusing my copy of Copley (available used, at not too expensive prices, they go up and down, this book is a must-have for research!), I noticed some mistakes.   One does get used to this, eventually, but it continues to infuriate me!  On page 307, in the discussion of Mrs. Paul Richard, it says that she is wearing a plain cotton apron, and that Copley only painted women in aprons twice.   Well...that apron doesn't look like cotton to me, it looks like a not quite opaque linen, in other words, a very good every day apron, not one I'd wear to cook in!  They reference p. 314, Dorothy Quincy, in her apron, but then, on page 319 there is Mrs. Mifflin, in what is quite clearly an apron!


Dorothy Quincy in her apron (I much prefer to link to the owner of the painting, but MFA website is not cooperating.)


Mrs Mifflin in her apron


Since Mrs Skinner and Mrs Winthrop both have gowns with robings and ribbons in a typical pattern, I think I will make my new gown in their style, with ribbons on the stomacher, in a pink rather like Dorothy Quincy.