![]() Lord Howe was also painted late in life by Copley, another prodigious artist of the 18thC. 1763) Viscount Howe was already a brilliant naval commander with a number of victories to his credit. 1763/64), shown below, a rather stiff and uninspired work compared to others by that artist (and certainly nowhere near the excellence of his portrait of Lady Howe). Gainsborough painted a companion portrait of Lord Howe at the same time (ca. No wonder Lady Howe's portrait was painted by Gainsborough. Being in the Royal Navy, it's very likely that Cook would have known Howe personally. This was also the era of the great voyages of Captain James Cook, who was virtually an exact contemporary of Howe (Cook was born in 1728). He had had a privileged upbringing, his father having served as Governor of Barbados, his mother the daughter of King George I's half-sister. He was probably as well known in his time as Marlborough had been in his. His later military exploits included brilliant actions against the French. Howe was instrumental in the British fight against the American revolution, aiding from the sea his brother, General Sir William Howe, head of the British land forces. He played a key role in battles against the French, both on the continent and in what was then New France, which paved the way for Wolfe's defeat of Montcalm at Québec and shaped the fate of Canada. Richard Howe was to become one of the most illustrious naval heroes in British history, ultimately rising to the rank of First Lord of the Admiralty. Howe was a minor aristocrat, the second son of a Viscount, but in July, 1758 he inherited the title of Viscount of the peerage of Ireland on the death of his older brother. (Click on "Read More", below right, to continue) Sometimes going on a journey is the best medicine for ennui, and in this case it's a journey back in time to re-create a lovely 18th century gown. What I really needed was inspiration to launch that impetus came partly from an incidental chat with an online friend, and partly from the rediscovery of a long forgotten length of silk taffeta that I'd stuffed in the back of a cupboard years ago.Īlthough a project like this may be rightly judged a bit self-indulgent, it is also a means of elevating the spirit and alleviating some of the stress and melancholy of the present time. Not that I needed yet another thing to add to my seemingly limitless "to-do" list, but maybe something exciting enough to jump-start the Muse. Yet now I feel that concentrating on a new project, even if it means a little mental pushing and shoving, is a good thing. I think it's taken weeks to adjust psychologically to a reality few of us could have imagined. In fact, it's been hard to just get started - on anything. In this current time of pandemic, I've found it's been difficult to focus as consistently and effectively on creative projects as I usually do.
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