John Raphael Smith.

The Promenade at Carlisle House.

19 x 15¼ inches

In this delightful, domestic Georgian scene, we get a glimpse of The Ton doing what they did best, seeing and being seen. Two ladies (reputedly the socialites, Harriet Montague and Marie Townley) stroll arm-in-arm through a busy suite of rooms designed for entertaining. Carlisle House in Soho Square was, at this time, being let to the celebrated Mrs. Cornelys (German by birth and a trained singer). She was a wonderful hostess and for a while her salons and soirees were the talk of the town. All of society clamoured to be invited to her masquerades and concerts. The figure we can see through the doorway to the right is thought to be none other than Dr. Johnson and seated at the tea table are the artist J. R. Smith and Charlotte Somerville. Sadly, the opening of the Pantheon on Oxford Street in 1772 provided a much larger and ultimately more fashionable place to assemble and its success eventually put an end to the appeal of Carlisle House; Mrs. Cornelys went into debt and died at Fleet prison in 1797. Georgian society was greedy when you were on the ascendency but ruthless on the way down.