The Ladies Waldegrave is a group portrait by Joshua Reynolds from 1780–81, now in the Scottish National Gallery, who acquired it in 1952. It shows the three daughters of James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave, and Maria Walpole – from left to right, Charlotte (holding a skein of silk), Elizabeth (winding Charlotte's skein onto a card) and Anna (producing tambour lace). Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1781, it was commissioned the previous year by the subjects' mother in the hope of attracting potential suitors for them – all three of them were then unmarried.
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The Ladies Waldegrave in the context of Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy (from Greek ἀριστοκρατία aristokratía, "rule of the best"; Latin: aristocratia) is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class with hereditary rank and titles. They are usually below only the monarch of a country or nation in its social hierarchy.
The Ladies Waldegrave in the context of James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave
James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave, KG, PC, FRS (4 March 1715 – 13 April 1763) was a British politician who is sometimes regarded as one of the shortest-serving prime ministers in British history. His brief tenure as First Lord of the Treasury is lent a more lasting significance by his memoirs, which are regarded as significant in the development of Whig history.
Waldegrave served as a governor to The Prince of Wales (the future George III) and Prince Edward from 1752 to 1756. After the resignation of the Duke of Newcastle as prime minister and the dismissal from office of the influential minister William Pitt, George II invited Waldegrave to take over the position of the First Lord of the Treasury. Waldegrave tried to form a government from 8 to 12 June 1757, but failed to do so and stepped down