The King’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh

Overview

Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians (22 March – 22 September 2024)

Explore how the Georgians ushered in many of the cultural trends we know today, including the first stylists and influencers, the birth of a specialised fashion press and the development of shopping as a leisure activity.

Discover what fashion can tell us about life in the 18th century, a revolutionary period when trade, travel and technological innovations fuelled fashion trends across all levels of society.

The exhibition brings together almost 100 works from the Royal Collection, including paintings, prints and drawings by artists such as Gainsborough, Hogarth and their contemporaries. A selection of clothing and accessories is displayed alongside paintings to show what the Georgians wore – from the functional dress of laundry maids to the glittering gowns suitable for court.

Following the exhibition’s successful showing in London, new additions have been made with distinctly Scottish links. These include two depictions of George IV, painted to mark the first visit by a reigning monarch to Scotland since Charles I. Also on display is a portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie, showing the Jacobite leader as a defiant prince.

The exhibition is taking place at The King's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse formerly known as The Queen’s Gallery.

The King’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse shows changing exhibitions of works of art from the Royal Collection, one of the largest and most important art collections in the world. The Royal Collection is held in trust by the Sovereign for his successors and the nation. The King's Gallery in Edinburgh is located at the entrance to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and was built in the shell of a former church and school of the 19th-century. The gallery was opened in its current form by the late Queen as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002.


Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians (22 March – 22 September 2024)

Opening times 2024

The King's Gallery is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except July to September when it is open daily.

April to June
Thursday to Monday, 09:30-18:00 (last admission 17:00)

July to September
Daily, 09:30-18:00 (last admission 17:00)

Gallery closed
23 September - 31 December 2024

The Kings's Gallery is part of a working royal palace so sometimes closures can happen at short notice.​



Images: Royal Collection Trust / © HM King Charles III 2024. Photographer: Giulia Sansone