Elizabeth I and her people

Fascinating exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery looking at Elizabeth I and the people living during her reign which places portraits alongside since artefacts from the time.

It was arranged by class of people starting with the Queen herself but then moving through the gentry, the yeomanry, the middle classes and artists with a small section on the poor. The exhibition was a really touching look at a group of people and how they wanted to express themselves to the generations, like us, who follow them.

I loved the portrait of Elizabeth Vernon either dressing or undressing which showed a real insight into the clothes and accessories of the time but it was magical to have it hung by examples of the accessories such as an almost identical comb and even pin cushions.

My favourite section was the one on middle classes where the artefacts were show in cases like contemporary shop windows. That room also brought back together people who knew each other in life and also contained my favourite work, the picture of Kathryn Clough also known as the Mother of Wales.

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