Elizabeth I & Her People

Elizabeth I & Her People explores the remarkable reign of Elizabeth I through the lives and portraiture of her subjects. The reign of Elizabeth I from 1558-1603 was a time of extraordinary enterprise. New opportunities for creativity and wealth creation in this period saw the beginning of the rise of the so-called ‘middling sort’ or middle classes.
The changes that took place at this time dramatically shaped the future of England and Wales. The Church of England was securely established and over time much of the country embraced the Protestant faith. The known world was expanding through maritime exploration and trade, cities grew in size and population and the economy flourished and purpose built theatres opened to the public.
This exhibition explores the story of the Elizabethans from the Queen, the nobility and gentry to many other talented individuals such as explorers, soldiers, merchants, artists and writers.A fully illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition, featuring magnificent portraits of the Queen and her courtiers as well as intriguing, lesser-known images of merchants, lawyers and artists – all of whom contributed to the making of a nation and a new world power.
Catalogue essays include:Elizabethan Portraiture: Taste, Style and Patronage by Tarnya Cooper, Up and Down the Social Ladder in Elizabethan England by Ian W. Archer Personhood in the Age of Reformation by Lena Cowen Orlin, What the Elizabethans Wore: Evidence from Wills and Inventories of the ‘Middling Sort’ by Susan North.