Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians Palace of Holyroodhouse

Explore how the Georgians ushered in many of the cultural trends we know today, including the first stylists and influencers, the birth of a specialised fashion press and the development of shopping as a leisure activity.

Discover what fashion can tell us about life in the 18th century, a revolutionary period when trade, travel and technological innovations fuelled fashion trends... Show more

Explore how the Georgians ushered in many of the cultural trends we know today, including the first stylists and influencers, the birth of a specialised fashion press and the development of shopping as a leisure activity.

Discover what fashion can tell us about life in the 18th century, a revolutionary period when trade, travel and technological innovations fuelled fashion trends across all levels of society.

The exhibition brings together almost 100 works from the Royal Collection, including paintings, prints and drawings by artists such as Gainsborough, Hogarth and their contemporaries. A selection of clothing and accessories is displayed alongside paintings to show what the Georgians wore – from the functional dress of laundry maids to the glittering gowns suitable for court.

Following the exhibition’s successful showing in London, new additions have been made with distinctly Scottish links. These include two depictions of George IV, painted to mark the first visit by a reigning monarch to Scotland since Charles I. Also on display is a portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie, showing the Jacobite leader as a defiant prince.

The exhibition is taking place at The King's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse formerly known as The Queen’s Gallery.

The King’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse shows changing exhibitions of works of art from the Royal Collection, one of the largest and most important art collections in the world. The Royal Collection is held in trust by the Sovereign for his successors and the nation. The King's Gallery in Edinburgh is located at the entrance to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and was built in the shell of a former church and school of the 19th-century. The gallery was opened in its current form by the late Queen as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002.