The Original Social Feed: The Mezzotints of Westbury House

The mezzotints that line the second-floor hallway are easy to overlook as you make your way to the many bedrooms. This printing method could be considered the "TikTok" of the 18th century in the sense that it was the most popular and widely used printmaking technique of the time—particularly in England. The painstaking process allowed for the reproduction of portraits and other artworks with rich blacks and subtle tonal gradations, making it a favored method for disseminating images. The process fell out of favor with the introduction of photography in the early 19th century.

The method was practiced by renowned printmakers who were often selected by notable painters such as Sir Joshua Reynolds. It provided a way to reproduce Reynolds' hundreds of oil portraits in exquisite detail, to be marketed in different sizes, framed, and displayed as highly valued decorative artworks. Depending on the subject depicted, mezzotints could indeed be considered the "TikTok" of their time, celebrating the who's who of the day.

Many of the prints displayed in the hallways depict famous personalities of the 18th century, including nobility, politicians, and war heroes. When researching many of the women portrayed, one finds they were often wealthy through marriage and carried generations of family titles. They also fueled the gossip mill with tales of marital infidelity, extravagant parties, the latest fashions, gambling ruin, or a dramatic fall from grace. Sound familiar?

A favorite portrait is of the Duchess of Devonshire, the Right Honorable Lady Georgiana Cavendish (1757–1806), who led as adventurous a life as her great-great-great-niece, Lady Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales. And like Lady Di, her life was minutely observed, widely reported, and even inspired the motion picture The Duchess (2008).

All the prints are hung in the same location as during the Phipps residency—confirmed through probate inventories—and someone definitely had an eye for irony. In the second-floor west hallway is a portrait of Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, considered one of the greatest naval strategists and commanders in history. His victories during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars are legendary—as was his long relationship with Emma, Lady Hamilton. Both were married to others, and their affair caused a sensation. The relationship seemed to be a sincere love match, but directly across from Nelson hangs a print entitled Snake in the Grass, copied from the original painting by Joshua Reynolds, now housed in the Sir John Soane Museum. And who is the sitter? Why, of course—it’s Emma, Lady Hamilton. The title serves as a warning: temptation and deceit could be lurking nearby. Taking a leisurely stroll and studying the mezzotints is like flipping through a People magazine of the period.

If you're interested in how mezzotints are created, there are videos on YouTube that show the exacting process of prepping a copper plate and the specialized tools used. See video below.

~Lorraine Gilligan, Director of Preservation