Preparing for a Fancy Dress Ball [SEP] material used
Preparing for a Fancy Dress Ball
Preparing for a Fancy Dress Ball, also known as The Misses Williams-Wynn, is a oil on canvas by English artist William Etty, first exhibited in 1835 and currently in the York Art Gallery. Although Etty was then known almost exclusively for history paintings featuring nude figures, he was commissioned in 1833 by Welsh Conservative politician Charles Watkin Williams-Wynn to paint a portrait of two of his daughters. "Preparing for a Fancy Dress Ball" shows Williams-Wynn's daughters, Charlotte
wealthy audience. In both London and the English provincial cities, such balls and parties had become extremely fashionable by the 1830s. Though conservative in comparison to some costumes worn at contemporary fancy dress events, the richness of the design of the sisters' dress indicates the high status of the Williams-Wynn family in fashionable circles.
"Preparing for a Fancy Dress Ball" took Etty some time to complete in comparison to his usual work, and he apologized to the sisters for his "inability to render [repeated sittings for