The eighteenth century was a turning point in the history of European society. Between 1700 and 1800 transformations abounded in Europe and its North American dominions: from an age of timber, stone, and handicraft to one of coal, iron, and manufacture; from religious orthodoxy to skepticism; from aristocracy and absolutism as rival modes of government to infant democracy and dictatorship in the aftermath of revolutions. Over the following two hundred years (1800 – 2000) imperialism and globalization would carry these transformations around the world, making the eighteenth century a turning point in the history of all humanity.
Three paintings at the Ackland Art Museum, superficially unconnected, are well-suited to serve as windows on society and thought at the century’s beginning and end. This website aims to clarify the cultural context of these three works in the light of their original ownership and audience and to make that context available to university audiences and the general public.