George Hayter (1792–1871)
Georgiana, Duchess of Bedford
ca. 1820
Pen and ink
The Duchess of Bedford, born Georgiana Gordon, was the second wife of the sixth Duke of Bedford. She became a leading figure in high society, enjoying the company of artists such as George Hayter, a fashionable portraitist, and Edwin Landseer, with whom she was thought to have had an affair. Much younger than her husband, and the focus of a dazzling social circle, the Duchess cuts an elegant figure in Hayter’s sketch, singing and performing on the guitar to entertain her guests, as did many fashionable ladies. Hayter was a frequent visitor at Woburn Abbey, the seat of the Duke of Bedford, where this drawing was made; the initials “WA” are woven into the drawing’s texture. Hayter’s lively and sensuous use of line in this swift sketch imply a connection between art, music making, and the erotic.
YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART, PAUL MELLON COLLECTION
B1975.4.1240