Paintings of the duchess

Georgiana was the topic of many paintings during her lifetime. She was known for her beauty and also the controversy associated with the many aspects of her life made her a desirable topic. After visiting the National Portrait Gallery in London and The National Gallery I was able to view these images related to the Duchess and analyse her styling and visuals throughout her life. She was painted in many different lights based on how she was viewed by the artist behind the canvas. This is useful in analysing the hair styles and also the ways in which georgiana dressed and was viewed in a true to period fashion.

Georgiana Cavendish (née Spencer), Duchess of Devonshire

by Francesco Bartolozzi, after Lady Diana Beauclerk (née Spencer)
hand-coloured etching and aquatint, (1779)
7 1/2 in. x 8 5/8 in. (191 mm x 220 mm) plate size; 7 3/4 in. x 8 7/8 in. (198 mm x 225 mm) paper size
Given by Sir Herbert Henry Raphael, 1st Bt, 1916
NPG D19693

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portraitLarge/mw80082/Georgiana-Cavendish-ne-Spencer-Duchess-of-Devonshire?LinkID=mp01280&role=sit&rNo=3

The etching above of georgiana is one of the earlier portraits of her, from 1779. She is very youthful, looking flushed and 'full of colour'. The hair is large however not as large as Marie Antoinette, Georgianas best friend at the time. Her hair is of a natural light brown/blonde colour and is also worn in a half up half down style. This is echoed throughout the images of her painted during her life.

Georgiana Cavendish (née Spencer), Duchess of Devonshire

by Francesco Bartolozzi, published by M. Lawson, after John Downman
stipple engraving, (1787)
10 1/8 in. x 7 1/2 in. (258 mm x 191 mm) plate size; 10 3/8 in. x 7 7/8 in. (263 mm x 199 mm) paper size
acquired Unknown source
NPG D35166

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portraitLarge/mw192166/Georgiana-Cavendish-ne-Spencer-Duchess-of-Devonshire?LinkID=mp01280&role=sit&rNo=6

The image above, again of an early Georgiana demonstrates her flushed cheeks, and feminine cheeks. Her hairstyle has progressed to a curlier style, again worn in a half up half down style. The curl is reduced from the top to a more relaxed curl at the bottom of the hair.

Georgiana Cavendish (née Spencer), Duchess of Devonshire; Georgiana Dorothy (née Cavendish), Countess of Carlisle

by and published by George Keating, sold by William Austin, after Sir Joshua Reynolds
mezzotint, published 19 May 1787 (1784)
13 7/8 in. x 16 in. (352 mm x 406 mm) plate size; 16 in. x 26 1/2 in. (406 mm x 673 mm) paper size
Purchased, 1868
NPG D35167

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portraitLarge/mw192167/Georgiana-Cavendish-ne-Spencer-Duchess-of-Devonshire-Georgiana-Dorothy-ne-Cavendish-Countess-of-Carlisle?LinkID=mp01280&role=sit&rNo=7

The image above is a portrait of Georgiana after giving birth to her first child Lady Georgiana Cavendish. Her hair has remained in a half up half down style, full of bounce and curl, however her face is now looking considerably older than the previous paintings of her.

Georgiana Cavendish (née Spencer), Duchess of Devonshire

by William Whiston Barney, published by Thomas Palser, after Thomas Gainsborough
mezzotint, published 20 April 1808
29 1/8 in. x 18 1/2 in. (739 mm x 470 mm) plate size; 28 1/8 in. x 17 5/8 in. (715 mm x 447 mm) paper size
Given by the daughter of compiler William Fleming MD, Mary Elizabeth Stopford, 1931
NPG D35165

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portraitLarge/mw192165/Georgiana-Cavendish-ne-Spencer-Duchess-of-Devonshire?LinkID=mp01280&role=sit&rNo=12

An even later portrait of the Duchess shows her face again ageing and her hair again representing the style she has adorned her whole life. The top of the hair is looking slightly sleeker, with less bounce and a more firm style, leading into the typical bouncy loose curls she wears so often.

Georgiana Cavendish (née Spencer), Duchess of Devonshire

published by Excelsior Fine Art Association, with permission of Henry Graves & Co, after Robert Graves, after Thomas Gainsborough
chromolithograph, originally published 24 February 1870 (1785-1788)
21 in. x 14 7/8 in. (534 mm x 378 mm) paper size
Given by W.M. Campbell Smyth, 1935
Reference Collection
NPG D35170

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw192171/Georgiana-Cavendish-ne-Spencer-Duchess-of-Devonshire?LinkID=mp01280&role=sit&rNo=15

One of the final images of the duchess Painted by Thomas Gainsborough in 1880 shows a fuller looking head of hair, with a less coloured flushed cheek. She is again a lot older in these images and her complexion is looking drained. The fuller curls have returned to the top of her hairstyle and the length of the hair has also got longer since the previous portrait of her. 

The Three Witches from Macbeth (Elizabeth Lamb, Viscountess Melbourne; Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire; Anne Seymour Damer)

by Daniel Gardner
gouache and chalk, 1775
37 in. x 31 1/8 in. ()
Accepted in lieu of tax by H.M. Government and allocated to the Gallery, 2011
Primary Collection
NPG 6903

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw144816/The-Three-Witches-from-Macbeth-Elizabeth-Lamb-Viscountess-Melbourne-Georgiana-Duchess-of-Devonshire-Anne-Seymour-Damer?LinkID=mp01280&role=sit&rNo=1

"This image painted within Georgianas lifetime represents her as a witch. This unusual group portrait depicts three of the most notorious women of the late 18th century. They were intimate friends sharing a common passion for Whig politics and the arts. Whereas Lady Melbourne had been friends with Anne Seymour Damer since the early 1770s, the friendship with Georgiana was fairly recent and this pastel may in part be related to Melbourne’s desire to publicize their friendship. While all three women are described as having enjoyed attending private theatricals and tableaux vivants, Gardner’s choice of the cauldron scene from Macbeth can also be related to their shared and shadowy political machinations as leading members of the Devonshire House circle. The composition has no parallel in Gardner’s oeuvre and it is assumed that either Damer or Melbourne suggested the design. " Art History News