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Dublin Castle was the centre of court culture and home of the Season in eighteenth-century Ireland, providing a social platform on which members of, and visitors to, the viceregal court could flaunt their ability to follow and execute changing trends from London and Paris. The idea of this exhibition arose from our interest in social history and the age-old human inclination to do oneself up for an occasion. Though some, of course, did not care what they looked like, those who did take advantage of the stage the viceregal court offered were able to channel its interest in fashion and its ability to afford and fuel the latest trends. Such trends trickled down the social ladder and they also provided an opportunity to climb it. However, although the advantages of being fashion-forward determined social status, the exhibition shows that the personal cost could be high. The exhibition will give people an insight into a more personal side to courtly figures, peel back the idea of beauty and reveal by what means it was actually achieved.
The 'In the Eye of the Beholder' Exhibition is on display in Maynooth University Library from Wednesday 10 July to Wednesday 14 August 2019, and features a display of Lady Louisa Conolly's letters and 18th century trade labels, from the Conolly and Glin collections, from the OPW-Maynooth University Archive and Research Centre. For more information on the OPW-Maynooth University Archive and Research Centre and the collections in their care, see https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/omarc