Frances Tradescant

The daughter of John Tradescant the Younger, Frances was painted by an unidentified artist sometime around 1638. She is bareheaded, but has dressed her hair with a blue ribbon that picks out the ribbons and laces on her bodice which whilst not really high quality is nicely embroidered  around the buttons holding the slashes in her sleeves together. The tabs on the bodice look like they are edged with embroidery too. A tidy kerchief edged with wide needlelace covers her neckline. You can see this picture in the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology. © 2011 University of Oxford – Ashmolean Museum

Isobel Heyton

Painted in 1634 by Thomas Leigh, Isobel was wife of Thomas Heyton. Sadly I can find nothing about Isobel or Thomas,or even the artist, but Isobel is painted in a low cut silk waistcoat over a linen smock with a high collar, edged in lace. The waistcoat is edged with spangled lace as is the silk, embroidered wrap or mantle draped over her shoulder. The picture hangs in Terice, Cornwall and is kept by the National Trust

The Saltonstall Family

Thought to have been painted by David des Granges in 1636 or 37, this picture hangs in the Tate Gallery. In fact it’s worth checking out the gallery’s webpage on the history and symbolism of this picture. The picture is thought to show Sir Richard Saltonstall and his family. The wan figure in the bed is probably his dead wife Elizabeth. This is a picture of a well-to-do family dressed in their best clothes, designed to impress.

Sir Richard wears a short textured silk doublet with what looks like embroidery along the seams. The sleeves are slashed revealing a high quality shirt and his cuffs and band are stylishly laced. His breeches are fashionably tight and the ties at the lower end match his doublet. Heeled shoes, high crowned hat and some light gloves finish off the collection.

The two children, who could be male or female, although the larger child could be a boy, have matching dresses. The smaller one on the left also has an apron to keep the dress clean whilst the elder has a band and cuff with lace to match that on Sir Richard

The two women, thought to be his two wives are dressed in white. The lady on the bed in what looks like a smock with lace insertions, a very high status item, with a laced hood possibly around her head. The seated woman in a satin dress and layered, laced kerchief.

Robert Rich Earl of Warwick

Robert Rich Earl of Warwick was a prominent parliamentarian officer on land and sea during the Wars. There are several portraits of Rich from various periods, usually dressed in his finest clothes, but this one is exceptional. Painted in 1633 by Daniel Muytens, possibly a little early for this period, but a style that probably was worn in the 1640s by those who didn’t move as quickly with the times as those at court. Warwick’s doublet is a typical style for the 1630s and is covered with embroidery and edged with braid in a very similar style to the Layton Jacket in the V&A Museum on London. The ribbon bow points around the waist may be holding his breeches up or may just be decoration as the fashion was moving to the use of hooks and eyes for this purpose. His breeches and cloak don’t match the doublet, but the colours are picked out in the embroidery design. Picture hangs in Hardwick Hall Derbyshire

Sir Thomas Wharton

Painted by Van Dyck in 1639, Sir Thomas was a royalist and member of the Oxford parliament in exile during the war. Interestingly his brother Philip, Baron Wharton was prominent for Parliament, commanding a regiment in the Earl of Essex’s army for a while. Even allowing for Van Dyck’s customary embellishment of his subjects, Sir Thomas is sumptuously dressed as the military man, with an embroidered silk doublet and breeches, short buffcoat, tied with metallic cord and a red garter ribbon. Notice the shirt has been pulled out for effect where his buffcoat has been left untied. His falling band is plain, but his boots and boothose are quite magnificent. The ostrich plume on his hat isn’t a cheap accessory either. The original hangs in the Hermitage museum, St Petersburg.

Detail of the boots.

I’d love to know what the insignia is hanging from his left hip on a red scarf. I originally thought it was the Order of the Garter, but the riband ought to be a shade of blue and the medal definitely isn’t a lesser George.

Henry Rich, Earl of Holland

Painted by an artist of the English School, this painting hangs in the Captain Cristie Crawford Collection. The Earl in a sumptuous braided white silk doublet with slashed sleeves, braided red breeches and a matching decorated buffcoat. High heeled boots, embroidered gloves and a polished back and breastplate. This is the epitome of a fashionable man of the 1640s

A Merry New Ballad…

..both pleasant and sweet, In praise of the Blacksmith which is very meete. To the tune of Greensleeves etc. Broadside first published in 1635. The two smiths are wearing some kind of work overalls or aprons. The guy on the left, seems to have a knitted monmouth, at least going by the shape and the bobble. The smith on the right has what looks very much like an embroidered day cap with lace edging.

A Bawd

Pamphlet written by John Taylor in 1635. I liked the costume details on the two women. Very nice embroidered jacket on the Bawdy woman with braided petticote and apron. You can tell she’s a tramp by her uncovered head and trailing locks! The virtuous character is rather more plainly dressed, but you can more or less see the shape of her bodice and skirts.

Following some discussion, I’m beginning to think the bawd is the seated woman on the left and the standing figure is one of her “working girls” dressed for the evening. Dressed hair could count as a head covering in the higher classes.

Sir Edward Deering

Engraving by Glover, a copy of a painting by Cornelius Johnson. Sir Edward is pictured in military mode with buff coat and armour and closely braided sleeves. Nice embroidered scarf around his waist.

Lucy Hutchinson

Wife of the good Colonell, she wrote an account of her husbands exploits in the conflicts of the 1640s and became one of the early biographers of the war. Lucy is wearing some very fine clothes, noteably an embroidered stomacher and laced kerchief. Her laced smock can be seen above the stomacher, between the edges of the kerchief. She also has a black chaperone over her plain linen coif and possibly her wedding ring on the fourth finger.