The 18th-century interior

Antiques Roadshow expert Marc Allum describes the defining features of the period

Often I cite the 18th century as my favourite period in history. To start with, I’ve always fancied myself as a bit of a dandy, and the 18th century lends itself perfectly to the romantic notion that it was all about swanning around in flamboyant and elaborately embroidered silk coats, big wigs and oversized diamond rings, and indulging in social debauchery and sexual excess – with all the pitfalls of the period that accompanied such pursuits. Of course, there is plenty of truth in this; many of these ideas are reinforced in the contemporary accounts, writings and art of the period. The fanciful idea of the idle aristocrat who lives in a grand country house, travels around Europe on the Grand Tour and engages in the odd duel, is one that seems appealing to some of us slightly eccentric history addicts. As a result, it has also been heavily loaded in our overly nostalgic, modern interpretation of how people actually lived in the 18th century. We tend to focus our interest on the upper echelons of society, yet it is the tragically poor social underbelly that brings the stark differences of 18th-century society into focus. The century was the Age of Enlightenment. Also called the Age of Reason, it is a period in ➤