Mrs Hurst Dancing and Other Scenes from Regency Life 1812-1823

The 70 pictures reproduced here were painted by Diana Sperling between the years 1812 and 1823. Diana was born in 1791 and until her marriage in about 1834 she lived with her family at Dynes Hall near Halstead in Essex. Many young ladies could boast of drawing as an accomplishment, but unlike most of them, Di Sperling was an amateur artist of considerable skill. Her paintings are a delight. In a charmingly informal manner she depicts the daily events in the life of her family and friends: donkey races, riding parties, acting charades, hanging wallpaper... These pictures are Jane Austen in paint...