Brilliant Women

The next exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, London, will be Brilliant Women: 18th-Century Bluestockings, which explores the Bluestocking Circle of female artists, writers and intellectuals through portraits and "graphic satires". (Yes, male cartoonists of the day took the Mickey, the dastardly villains.) BBC News has helped publicize this exhibition by posting a story about the "discovery" of John Fayram's portrait of Elizabeth Carter as Minerva (ca 1735-41) which NPG curators tracked down to the private collection of Miss Paddy Barrett (CLICK). Elizabeth as Minerva may not look like an intellectual under that silly feather, but it was the fashion of that time for posh ladies to pose in roles they played to entertain family and friends. View it in the Porter Gallery, from 13 March to 15 June, admission free.