German born artist Franz Xaver Winterhalter painted portraits of the rich, powerful and fashionable courts of 19th century Europe. English Couturier Charles Frederick Worth established his couture house in Paris in 1858 and soon became official couturier to the Empress Eugénie, consort of Napoleon III. Worth and Winterhalter may not have directly worked together, but they shared a client list that boasted the aristocracy and crowned heads of Europe during the mid-19th century. Whereas one man depicted the finest and most luxurious fabrics in paint, the other sculpted these fabrics into ethereal gowns for the fashionable elite. This lecture brings together an intoxicating blend of fashion and art, two disciplines that continuously overlap throughout our cultural and social history and explores the exceptional talents of two men whose design and draughtsmanship defined an era.
