6 pm reception
6:30 pm forum

In an era of rapid social and sartorial change, the subject of appropriate dress for modern men was much debated. Englishmen on the Grand Tour took in classical art and architecture, as well as flamboyant Continental fashions. The resulting tension between dignity and display, action and ornamentation is evident in Georgian portraiture and literature. In this forum Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell will discuss menswear in William Kent’s world and examine how masculinity was defined through clothing. Jason Kelly will then explore the world of the English artist and examine the tensions of masculinity embodied in patronage, commerce, and connoisseurship.

Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell is an art historian specializing in eighteenth-century fashion and textiles.

Jason Kelly is director of the Arts and Humanities Institute and associate professor of British history at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.