JEAN-ETIENNE LIOTARD, LADY READING ON A SOFA (c1748–52)

Although the lady of this painting’s title is anonymous, it’s thought to be Marie Adélaïde of France, daughter of Louis XV. The Turkish-inspired ensemble that she’s wearing isn’t the only fashionable thing about her. In the 18th century, the invention of the novel led to reading for pleasure being discovered and embraced by the social elite. © Uffizi, Florence, and Thames & Hudson