Early 1800s fashion dating

[LilyS]

I am wondering if anyone can,

1) Date the fashion in these miniatures (they are front and back of the same piece) held by the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich (estimates for the date vary between 1815 and 1820)

2) Knows if there was a fashion for wearing black dresses, ribbons/sashes or if this a sign of mourning?

Many thanks, Lily

 

[Jonathan]

The woman with the grey hair looks more 1798-1801 ish to me, and the lady with the black bandeau is more like 1805-06

 

[LilyS]

This is very interesting Jonathan, thank you. I see from your signature links that you know your fashion history very well.

The lady with powedered hair in this double sided miniature portrait is thought to be Admiral Lord Nelson's daughter, Horatia, born 1801. I can't find a record of how the Naional Maritime Museum acquired it, but they attribute a single-sided replica of just the grey-powdered lady as a gift to them in 1947 by one of Horatia's descendants stating merely that the portrait is traditionally called Horatia Nelson. (http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/41990.html). However, the same museum is more cetrain about Horatia's identity in their listing for the double-sided miniature (http://prints.rmg.co.uk/art/514861/horatia-nelson-1801-81). As Horatia was born in 1801 and she lived in a very fashion-conscious environment, it cannot be of her. Ditto, the other young lady cannot be a Matcham girl (as the museum claims) because the oldest Matcham girl was born in 1792 and I feel the potraited lady looks older than the 13 or 14 years your 1805-06 date suggests (the Matcham family would have also been very up to date with fashion).

As the single-sided copy was donated to the museum by a descendant of Horatia, it suggests that this double portrait is of ladies from this family, but I am not sure exactly who.

Thank you!