Title	Two Fashion Dolls, Male and Female, ca. 1770
Description	China, silk, leather, lace and beads

Dress in the eighteenth century was a means of communicating a person's place in society. Information on the latest fashions was exchanged across the English Channel by means of newspaper reports and fashion dolls, also known as moppets or pandoras. The most striking examples of opulence in English fashion occurred during the 1770s, when towering headdresses for men and women alike appeared. For men, the basic three-piece suit that was a carryover from the century before was to last most of the eighteenth century with relatively minor alterations. Walpole's appearance and taste in his clothes was noted by the Scottish historian, John Pinkerton: "The person of Horace Walpole was short and slender, but of a boyish appearance, owing to the form of his person, and the simplicity of his dress."

A Gentleman Fashion Doll

The doll's head and hands are made of china, and he is formally dressed in gold-striped breeches, cream waistcoat, lace cravat and cuffs, and a gray brocade jacket trimmed with silver buttons and gold braid. His tricorne echoes this decoration, and even his toupet wig is strewn with pearls. Red shoes with jeweled buckles appear below his clocked stockings.

A Lady Fashion Doll

The gentleman's companion is dressed in a silk open robe and ruffled petticoat embroidered with flowers, gold braid and jewels. The striped overskirt and matching bodice are also embellished with lace ruffles and sleeve flounces. A black velvet ribbon encircles the lady's neck, and her towering wig is festooned with colored beads that represent flower-shaped jewels.