Portrait of Mrs. Ann Twells

Artist

Francis Alleyne (British, 1750 – 1815)

Date

Ca. 1780

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

Canvas : 17 1/4 x 14 in. (43.82 x 35.56 cm)
Frame : 24 x 21 in. (60.96 x 53.34 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Dr. Stephan Winton

Object Number

1991.1.12

Label

Ann Twells (died 1785) was the wife of John Twells, rector of Caston parish in rural Norfolk, England. Although she came from a relatively modest, lower gentry family, Ann is portrayed here with fashionable hair and clothing more typical of the aristocracy. Her voluminous hairstyle in particular reflects a trend that was popular among upper-class women in both England and France during the late 1770s and 1780s. To achieve her cloud-like coiffure, Ann's hair would have been frizzed with hot curlers, rubbed with a pomade made of animal fat and oil, and arranged around supports made of horse hair and cloth. It would then have been dusted with a scented powder and adorned with decorative ribbons. Because creating such an elaborate hairstyle required help from one or more servants and could take several hours to complete, it was only feasible for people with a certain level of wealth.