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The Georgian era was a time when botanists, philosophers, scientists, and artists published some of the most beautiful works in book history on the subject of colour. Among them was Miss Gartside, the first known woman in Western culture to have published an illustrated treatise on colour.

An ambitious colour theorist, and pioneer of abstract art, Gartside’s work was read by George IV’s sisters and mother. Until recently Gartside was overlooked or marginalised in history books, but Alexandra Loske has been researching her for over a decade and recently published the first stand-alone monograph on her as well as writing her Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry.

In this lecture, Alexandra will tell the story of Gartside, her cultural circles and inspirations, and report on the latest, exciting research findings. This is an exclusive lecture for the Regency Society and coincides with a copy of one Gartside’s now extremely rare books being on display in the COLOUR exhibition at the Royal Pavilion (curated by Alexandra).

Free admission

Alexandra Loske is curator of the Royal Pavilion. She is the author of several books on colour and other topics, including the recent history of the Royal Pavilion (Yale University Press, 2025). Her research on Gartside and women in colour history in general is supported by the Centre for Life History and Life Writing Research at the University of Sussex.

Further information: https://regencysociety.org/events/event/georgian-colour-finding-miss-gartside

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