Needless to say in the 18th century women were regarded as being of lower status than their male counterparts, this was especially noticeable in music. How many well-known female composers of the 18th century have you heard of – not many, if any for a guess! Many women were however expected to study music and to be accomplished at playing an instrument or singing, merely as a form of entertainment for their family and friends. This went hand in hand with being the perfect hostess.
In this post we thought we would take a look at how art captured women playing a musical instrument, whether these women were actually able to play theses instruments we have no idea, maybe they were simply used as props in the paintings. One of the most popular instruments for a woman to become accomplished at playing was the harpsichord and so we begin with Anastasia Robinson, mistress of the 3rd Earl of Peterborough followed by A Girl at a Harpsichord 1782 attributed to Mather Brown.
(c) Glasgow Museums; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation
The harp was also immensely popular as we can see here in the painting by Joshua Reynolds, who captured the Countess of Eglinton playing it, then we have A Young Lady Playing the Harp by James Northcote.
Private Collection © Agnew’s, London
English, out of copyright
(c) Tate; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation
(c) The University of Nottingham; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation
(c) Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation
The guitar was also a popular instrument for women to play as we can see in these next paintings.
(c) The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation
And finally, an all female quartet.
But the post would not be complete without Gillray’s take on an old woman playing the harpsichord now would it!
All Things Georgian 
William Savage – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | | | | | |
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| | | | William Savage – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | |
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Jane Savage (1752/3â1824) Contents: I. Biography II. Surviving Works, New Editions, and Recordings III. Sources I. Biography Jane Savage was an English musician and composer, the daughter of the prominent London musician William Sav | | | Jane Savage (1752/3â1824) Contents: I. Biography II. Surviving Works, New Editions, and Recordings III… | |
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see attached “a very amiable and accomplished woman with a fortune of £19,000, dependent only on her own will. She was also considered to be a beautiful woman.” Can’t think why women like her 🙂
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Reblogged this on Ella Quinn ~ Author and commented:
I was made to learn piano when I was young. I think we need to encourage children to learn an instrument or something artsy.
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A good thing I didn’t live during the Georgian era for I failed miserably at music on the piano (after years of lessons insisted on by my mother) and my voice could break eardrums. 🙂 I would’ve been “on the shelf” forever…an “old maid.” Thanks for your interesting posts, Ella.
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Probably just as well that it’s not a pre-requisite today, thank goodness society has moved on 🙂 Delighted that you enjoyed our posts Ella and thank you for taking the time to comment.
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Reblogged this on Lenora's Culture Center and Foray into History.
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