Hidden Patrons: Women and Architectural Patronage in Georgian Britain
Ebook
Ebooks are designed for reading and have few connections to your library.
Overview
An enduring myth of Georgian architecture is that it was purely the pursuit of male architects and their wealthy male patrons. History states that it was men who owned grand estates and houses, who commissioned famous architects, and who embarked upon elaborate architectural schemes.
Hidden Patrons dismantles this myth - revealing instead that women were at the heart of the architectural patronage of the day, exerting far more influence and agency than has previously been recognised. Architectural drawing and design, discourse, and patronage were interests shared by many women in the eighteenth century. Far from being the preserve of elite men, architecture was a passion shared by both sexes, intellectually and practically, as long as they possessed sufficient wealth and autonomy.
In an accessible, readable account, Hidden Patrons uncovers the role of women as important patrons and designers of architecture and interiors in eighteenth-century Britain and Ireland. Exploring country houses, Georgian townhouses, villas, estates, and gardens, it analyses female patronage from across the architectural spectrum, and examines the work of a range of pioneering women from grand duchesses to businesswomen to lowly courtesans. Re-examining well-known Georgian masterpieces alongside lesser-known architectural gems, Hidden Patrons unearths unseen archival material to provide a fascinating new view of the role of women in the architecture of the Georgian era.
Reveals the role of women as patrons and designers of architecture and interiors in eighteenth-century Britain and Ireland.
The involvement of women in architecture in eighteenth-century Britain has been obscured and overlooked. Hidden Patrons reveals their important role – most particularly as architectural patrons
It takes an innovative thematic rather than chronological approach – examining country houses, Georgian townhouses, villas, estates, and gardens in separate chapters – to provide a holistic view of women’s role in the architecture of the era
Considers the achievements of women from the fringes of elite society (courtesans/ businesswomen) to be considered alongside their more ‘respectable’ counterparts
Reveals the stories behind many famous and much-visited country houses (from Holkham Hall and Newby Park to Castle Ward and Welbeck Abbey)
Considers the importance of consumer consumption and the display of luxury in relation to the creation of the home. This enables the achievements of the book’s subjects to be understood across a spectrum of research fields, including material cultural history, economic history, gender history, design history and social history
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Note on Text
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1.The Country House
2.The Town House
3.The Villa
4.The Wider Estate, Garden Design & Ornamental Buildings
Conclusions
Bibliography
Index
This excellent book … is a rich and meticulous study on why and how British elite women of the later-Stuart and Georgian eras engaged in architecture-related schemes … A joy to read, as well as an education.
A sumptuous visual feast combined with deep archival research. With authority and flair, Amy Boyington shows that women have been hiding in plain sight all along in the story of how glamorous Georgian architecture got made.
A must read for anyone interested in women’s place in the past.
Hidden Patrons is a complete revelation . . . a scholarly, yet engagingly-written study which celebrates the considerable contribution of aristocratic women to the architecture of country houses, villas, town houses and garden buildings in the eighteenth century. Everyone with an interest in Georgian architectures and interiors should read this book.
- Title: Hidden Patrons: Women and Architectural Patronage in Georgian Britain
- Author: Amy Boyington
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Pages: 328
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781350358638, 9781350358607, 1350358606, 1350358630
- Resource ID: LLS:9781350358638
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-22T12:08:28Z
Dr Amy Boyington is author of Hidden Patrons: Women and Architectural Patronage in Georgian Britain (Bloomsbury Visual Arts) and is a social and architectural historian. She is a trustee of the Georgian Group and popular Instagram and TikTok historian.