It occurs to me that I’ve never talked up the Huntington at Risky Regencies!

If you’re ever in the Los Angeles area, you need to visit the Huntington…which includes the Huntington Library, the Huntington Gardens, and the Huntington Art Collections.

I was there yesterday showing my sister around, and thinking how any Regency fan would love it.

To start with: imagine owning the library pictured above!

Not too shabby.

And as for art…
it has Gainsborough…
Lawrence…
Romney…
Reynolds…
Turner…
Constable…

The most famous of its holdings include Gainsborough’s Blue Boy, from 1770…

And the painting nicknamed “Pinkie,” painted by Lawrence in 1794.

Visitors, by the way, like to fancy that Blue Boy and Pinkie are a couple.

Certainly they stare at each other across the gallery with great fixity…

Walk around the art galleries for long enough,

and you will also stumble across people like Emma Hamilton,


and the great actress Sarah Siddons.

I also saw the Duchess of Devonshire today.

And if you like French art, you can find Boucher, Watteau, Fragonard, Greuze…

And as for the Huntington Library displays, there are first editions of Byron, Burns, and a bunch of other beautiful brilliant books…

Ah, to be a fabulously wealthy railroad magnate in the early 20th century! That’s the sort of luxury I could get used to.

So…have any of you ever visited the Huntington? (Do you all promise to, the next time you’re in the LA area?) Do you particularly like any of the artists mentioned here?

And speaking of the Duchess of Devonshire, has anyone here seen the movie THE DUCHESS yet, or plan to soon? (In other words, how long should we wait until we discuss it here at Risky Regencies?)

All answers welcome!

Cara
Cara King, who also loves the gardens