Georgians Revealed
Life, Style and the Making of Modern Britain
Until 11 March 2014
Tasteful and polite, or riotous and pleasure-obsessed? Discover the Georgians as they really were, through the objects that tell the stories of their lives.
From beautifully furnished homes to raucous gambling dens, Georgians Revealed explores the revolution in everyday life that took place between 1714 and 1830. Cities and towns were transformed. Taking tea, reading magazines, gardening and shopping for leisure were commonplace, and conspicuous consumption became the pastime of the emerging middle classes.
Popular culture as we know it began, and with it the unstoppable rise of fashion and celebrity. Art galleries, museums and charities were founded. In this time of incredible innovation, ideas were endlessly debated in the new coffee houses and spread via the information highway that was mass print.
Drawing on the British Library’s uniquely rich and rare collections of illustrated books, newspapers, maps and advertisements, as well as loaned artworks and artefacts, Georgians Revealed brings to life the trials and triumphs of the ordinary people who transformed Britain forever.
To celebrate the exhibition, the Library and Cityscapes have created aGeorgian garden installation on the Piazza designed by landscape architect and historian Todd Longstaffe-Gowan and funded by The Sackler Trust.
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I.R. and G. Cruikshank. ‘Tom & Jerry at a Coffee Shop near the Olympic’
Pierce Egan, Life in London. London, 1823 (British Library. 838.i.2)
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John Soane. Plans, Elevations, and Perspective Views of Pitzhanger Manor House
London, 1833. (British Library, C.190.b.22.(2))
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The Nobleman and Gentleman’s Director … in the True Choice of Their Wheel-Carriages
London, 1763 (British Library, 62.a.33)
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The compleat gamester
Richard Seymour London (1734) (British Library, 1040.b.29)
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Grimaldi’s Leap-Frog
William Heath’s coloured engraving (British Library, Dex.315)
Georgians Revealed: Life, Style and the Making of Modern Britain
Type: | Exhibition | |
Date: | 8 November – 11 March 2014 | |
Times: | Mon – Fri: 10.00 – 18.00 (closes 20.00 on Tue) Sat: 10.00 – 17.00 Sun: 11.00 – 17.00 |
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Prices: | Adults £9 Under 18s free Over 60s: £7 Students: £5 Other concessions available |
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Address: | The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB How to get to the Library |
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Enquiries: | boxoffice@bl.uk | +44 (0)1937 546546. |