Hats 1740 – 1780
by Jean-Étienne Liotard, artist

Liotard was known for his amazing detail in painting the fashion of the day, which was the mid to late 18th century.  The sitters often wore hats and they were painted with fantastic detail which is very interesting for people like me who are a bit obsessed with hats.

Jean-Étienne Liotard exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts (commonly referred to as “The Royal Academy” has now closed, sorry, but if someone asks if you want to see a Liotard exhibit, do not make my mistake and ask if they mean the stretchy garment that dancers wear.

690px-Jean_Etienne_Lìotard_-_Ritratto_di_Maria_Adelaide_di_Francia_vestita_alla_turca_-_Google_Art_Project
Marie Adelaide of France, Dressed in Turkish Costume
Liotard Simon Lutrell Turban
Jean-Etienne Liotard. Simon Lutrell of Lutrellstown, 1753-54

He was know to travel a lot so there are a variety of styles of head wear, of which the turban was featured in many pictures. I am quite fond the turbans, particularly the glamorous movie star style. These images highlighted the many ways of doing the wrapping and folding found in a turban.

Jean-Etienne Liotard Laughing Self Portrait
Jean-Étienne Liotard, Laughing (Self-portrait), c.1770

Jean-Étienne Leotard was a man before his time when it came to personal promotion. This late 18th Century self portrait shows a large smile, missing tooth, toque hat and turkish style of dress. Another unusual element is that he is not holding a paint brush but instead is pointing his finger. These elements were unique for the time.

800px-Lady_Ann_Somerset,_Countess_of_Northampton,_attributed_to_Jean-Étienne_Liotard_(1702-1789)
Lady Ann Somerset, Countess Of Northampton

Liotard’s use of pastels is also noteworthy,  my friend, Dusia who coordinated the visit, brought to my attention his common use of two specific colors which he uses in nearly all his paintings, a beautiful blue (“rich sonorous blue” or “electric blue”, and a salmony red. It is interesting how consistently these colours appear in his paintings.

Jean-Étienne Liotard - Portrait of Marie Fargues, in Turks costume
Marie Fargues

Grown-Up tip – To avoid the sleepy feeling I often get at museums & exhibits, I have discovered that if I focus my attention on a particular interest, such as hats and head pieces, my endurance in greatly improved. I have used a similar technique with my children, by asking them what they are going to look for, or offer a suggestion of what animal they can find.

Liotard exhibit
Unofficial name: Its all about the hat
Leanne Dusia Kitty at Liotard RA
Me (Leanne), Dusia, and Kitty – my museum buddies.

Thank you to Dusia and Kitty, for a fun afternoon of learning and inspiration.

I will keep my eye open for more Liotard paintings. I really enjoyed the subjects, the use of colour and of course the Hats.

And remember, interesting people wear hats.

Published by

Leanne

Hatter, Milliner, Adventurer, Mother, Wife, and maker of many things including this blog and podcast.

2 thoughts on “Hats 1740 – 1780
by Jean-Étienne Liotard, artist”

  1. Great essay. Liotard’s on at London’s National Gallery right now for free.
    I’m doing a painting of Liotard and his wife Marie and was planning on her being in English 1756 dress but am now doing the Turkish hat and robes. cool. Hes the whole Turkish guy. Marie was twenty something years younger than him. Wonder if she got the money.

    1. Hello Gillian, I don’t know if she got any money but she got some cool clothes. Good luck on your painting. Cheers, Leanne

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *