Sisters, sisters.... - the daughters of the Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, attributed to Jacob van Doort, 1609

 

Princess Elizabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (23 June 1593 - 25 March 1650), later Duchess of Saxony, later Duchess of Saxe-Altenberg, at the age of sixteen.

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Princess Hedwig of  Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (19 February 1595 - 26 June 1650), later Duchess of Pomerania, at the age of fourteen. 

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Princess Dorothea of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (8 July 1596 - 1 September 1643), later Margravine of Brandenburg, at the age of thirteen.

The three elegant young ladies are the daughters of Heinrich Julius (15 October 1564 - 30 July 1613), Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruling Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel by his second marriage to Elizabeth of Denmark (25 August 1573 - 19 June 1626), daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark. The couple had ten children together, seven of whom survived to adulthood. (The duke also had a daughter from his first marriage, Dorothea Hedwig; married to Rudolph, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, she died the same year these portraits were completed.)

Alright, why not throw the brothers in while we're at it! 

The five portraits here represent the couple's children still living at home in 1609; they had two older children - their daughter, Sophie Hedwig, had married two years previously - and their two youngest had not yet been born. All five of these portraits are included in the Royal Collection.

Prince Christian of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (20 September 1599 - 16 June 1626), at the age of ten.

Prince Rudolph of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (15 June 1602 - 13 June 1616), at the age of seven.

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Jacob van Doort (or Doordt; ? - 1629, Stockholm), painter of Flemish or Dutch extraction active from 1606 to his death in 1629. Much of his work was for the courts of Denmark and Sweden, in particular the court of Christian IV of Denmark. Little is known of his life; he may have been the son of Peter van der Doort of Antwerp and the brother of Abraham van Doordt. He may have been born in Hamburg and he spent his career working in Northern Europe including, possibly, a few visits to England.

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In addition to the beautifully restrained palette of the ladies' portraits, I really admire the superbly handled drapery of their gowns.

Fond brothers - the ten male siblings of the Hutchinson Family Singers, daguerreotype, circa 1845

 

From left: Asa, Andrew, Jesse, Joshua, David, Caleb, Noah, Judson, Zephaniah, and John.

Asa, Andrew, Jesse, and Joshua.

David, Caleb, Noah, and Judson.

Zephaniah and John.

Descendants of the Pilgrims, Jesse Hutchinson and Mary Hastings Leavitt of Milford, New Hampshire, were the parents of sixteen children, thirteen of whom survived to adulthood. Their children came from a long line of musical ancestors, principally on the maternal side. And in 1840, four of their sons - John, Asa, Jesse, and Judson - formed a singing group, performing in four-part harmony, and calling themselves The Hutchinson Family Singers. Jesse Hutchinson soon quit to focus on writing for the group and managing their affairs. Their twelve-year-old sister Abby took his place; an alto, she sang the first tenor part. At first, the group sang mostly European songs at their concerts but, very early on, the family began adding original material which often explored controversial themes such as abolitionism, temperance, worker's and women's rights. Despite the disapproval this material engendered with some of their audiences - the singers were sometimes booed and even physically threatened - the group was very successful, touring New England and later, in 1845, they traveled to England -in the company of Frederick Douglass, no less - spending nearly a year there. Their success inspired imitators, and other of their siblings formed additional groups; while the original quartet was in Britain, Caleb, Joshua, Rhoda, and Zephaniah Hutchinson toured the United States under the name "Home Branch of the Hutchinson Family". The quartet - later, trio, when Abby retired from performing - sang at antislavery rallies, supported Lincoln’s presidential campaigns, backed the North in the Civil War, and performed slave songs to call attention to the predicament of black Americans during the postwar period. In subsequent years the families of individual brothers formed several Hutchinson Family groups.

The most celebrated configuration of the group: Judson, Abby, John, and Asa, circa 1843.

Radiant consort - a selection of Queen Alexandra's spangled gowns

 

Alexandra of Denmark waited thirty-eight years as Princess of Wales before reaching the pinnacle of her royal and imperial career as queen and empress consort to Edward VII. The victim of her husband's fairly flagrant infidelity and her own ever worsening hearing loss, she had sought solace with her children and extended family, as well as with frequent travel, social engagements, and through her popularity with the public. Known for her beauty and elegant figure, she was also a much-copied influence on fashion in the second half of the nineteenth century. There was certainly nothing timid, though, about her evening and gala toilettes. Her beautifully detailed gowns - usually the work of Parisian fashion houses - were typically burdened by copious jewels, both real and, when she considered the array insufficient, imitation; it was said that she was able, as no other woman, to carry off such excessive display, somehow never appearing overdone or vulgar. She was queen for a very brief nine years, Edward VII dying in May of 1910. Queen Alexandra's gowns shown here are from her time as consort, and show her preference for rich ornamentation, particularly, at that time, intricate beading and a lavish display of sequins and paillettes.

Gown by Henriette Favre, circa 1906.

Gown by Henriette Favre (?), 1902.

Gown by Henriette Favre, 1902.

1907.

Circa 1908.

Gown by Maison Morin-Blossier, circa 1903.

Gown by Barolet, circa 1908.

Gown by Maison Doeuillet, 1910.

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From an exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014-15. (Two images.)

And yet more spangles....

Both photographs were taken at the wedding of Princess Margaret of Connaught to Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, 15 June 1905.

Queen Alexandra with her daughters Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, and Princess Victoria.

Queen Alexandra with Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden and Norway - two years later Queen of Sweden - the mother of the groom.