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Title
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Elinor Drawing
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Description
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Here we see Elinor sitting at a desk drawing. She was an accomplished artist, with some of her drawings displayed on the wall behind her. Young upper-class women in this period were expected to be accomplished in at least one form of artistic endeavor. Elinor chose drawing as her primary pastime. Her sister, Marianne, on the other hand was a good pianist. Women would practice these skills during the day. Practicing these skills was a means of dividing the upper-classes from the lower-classes, as it stood as a symbol of these upper-class women’s free time, because they did not have to do any labour or provide for their families, as did lower class women. In this image, Elinor sits at a desk with an easel sitting on top to elevate slightly the drawing on which she worked. The characters are shown in the traditional regency style, as Elinor wears the regency style dress with an empire waist. Her hair is worn tied up, as was tradition for women after their coming out before the queen, signaling her entrance into society. The regency period dated to the early nineteenth century (1811-1820) when George, Prince of Wales, later George IV (r. 1820-1830), reigned as regent for his mentally ill father, King George III (r. 1760-1820). The regency period is associated with the rise of neoclassicism in art and fashion. The same image appears as an insert between pages 16 and 17 for the Dent 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, and 1897 editions of Sense and Sensibility.
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Image Creator
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William Cubit Cooke (engraver)
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Identifier
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mta:25573
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Source Name
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Sense and Sensibility
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Image
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mta_25573_OBJ.png
mta_25573_OBJ.png