It is also, however, the art that relates most closely to our lives, both as reflection of our self-image and, in the words of Louis XIV, as the mirror of history. This text examines English and French fashion from 1750 to 1820 by studying the art of the period and it shows how changes in dress reflected social, political and cultural developments in the two countries.

    This volume, which accompanies a major exhibition of Copley's work organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, focuses on the paintings, miniatures and pastels which Copley produced before he moved to London in 1774.