Learn the rules of Bridgerton-esque courtship through these sumptuous paintings

With Daphne Bridgerton and the Duke of Hastings having set the bar for an epic romance, we’re left daydreaming about love in a bygone era. From the enchantment of a ballroom to the power of a well-written love letter, the art of genteel courting is the ideal tonic for a modern Valentine’s Day

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, one can’t help but indulge in fantasies of being swept away by courtly love like the leading ladies of Bridgerton. Amidst boundless scenes of candy-coloured affairs, we’ve ventured alongside Daphne Bridgerton through the Regency ritual of courting — a delicate dance defined by clear phases and the alluring undercurrent of bridled passions.

While Bridgerton is indeed a work of fiction — conjured by the sparkling mind of romance author Julia Quinn — the show’s scenes and aesthetics present surprisingly accurate details of the time-honoured protocols that once governed the pursuit of love (and an advantageous match).

From the dizzying excitement that comes with the social season’s inaugural ball to anticipating visits from a bevvy of suitors, Bridgerton reflects a heightened world initially captured by the intimate renderings of British artist Edmund Blair Leighton.

In the spirit of the ton’s preeminent tastemaker Lady Whistledown, we’ve selected a series of sumptuous paintings — by both Leighton and his European contemporaries — which depict the vital stages of a successful Bridgerton-esque courtship. A word of advice to today's would-be Romeos: take notes.

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Phase I: May I Have This Dance?

Une soirée élégante by Victor Gabriel Gilbert, circa 1890Courtesy of a private collection

As illustrated in Bridgerton’s opening episode ‘Diamond of The First Water’, every remarkable courtship begins with a dance in a glittering ballroom. French painter Victor Gabriel Gilbert captures the enchantment of this first encounter between debutantes and suitors in his atmospheric work Une soirée élégante. Like Daphne and Simon at Vauxhall, this is where the magic begins.

Phase II: Awaiting Suitors

Awaiting a Visit by Vittorio Reggianini, 19th centuryCourtesy of Sotheby’s

Perhaps the most agonising and amusing (for onlookers) opening phase of a courtship is awaiting callers after one’s debut at a ball the previous evening. Just as the Featherington sisters waited with bated breath at the possible arrival of prospective husbands, so to do the trio in Vittorio Reggianini’s endearing work Awaiting a Visit. Will he come calling? Let us wait and see.

Phase III: Un Tête-à-Tête

Admiration by Vittorio Reggianini, 19th centuryCourtesy of Sotheby’s

‘I do wonder which gentleman will be the very first to call. I have so much to ask of them all,’ proclaimed Daphne on the morning after Lady Danbury’s ball. In the bright light of day, a potential couple can explore more of one another’s character during a chaperoned chat in the family home. In his quintessential light-hearted style, Vittorio Reggianini reproduces this bashful exchange in Admiration.

Phase IV: Confessing Private Feelings

The Love Letter by Auguste Toulmouche, 1863Courtesy of Sotheby’s

Likely to reveal the most intimate of feelings, a missive from your flame is a sure sign of something more than a passing fancy. Often accompanied by flowers — as seen in Auguste Toulmouche’s stirring painting The Love Letter — the letter is at the heart of old-world wooing. Such is the case for Bridgerton’s Marina Thompson, who treasures George’s previous correspondence and devotedly awaits his reply from Spain.

Phase V: A Public Attachment

Prelude by Edmund Blair Leighton, 1899Courtesy of Bonhams

Whether it be a promenade along the Thames or a visit to Gunter’s Tea Shop, the telltale clue of an imminent proposal is the public demonstration of an ardent attachment between lovebirds. While we’ve yet to be treated to a Bridgerton couple engaging in an Austenian musical duet, it’s only a matter of time until this age-old flirtation graces the small screen. Edmund Blair Leighton’s Prelude will have to suffice until then.

Phase VI: The Big Question

Yes or No? by Edmund Blair Leighton, 1890Courtesy of Christie’s

While Bridgerton’s first season was sorely lacking in formal proposal scenes, we have high hopes for Season 2. Since a gentleman’s proposition was commonly referred to in the Regency era as ‘expressing the violets of one’s affection’ — a line found in Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice — it’s apropos that the young lady in Edmund Blair Leighton’s work Yes or No? clutches violets as she’s asked for her hand in marriage.

Phase VII: Alone At Last

Flirtation by Frédéric Soulacroix, 19th centuryCourtesy of Sotheby’s

With the wedding planning well underway, a couple would be afforded a tad bit more privacy to bask in the glow of young love. Perched on the extensive grounds belonging to whichever Duke or Prince our lady has won, the betrothed might indulge in some outdoor coquetry — the PG version of Daphne and Simon’s en plein air activities at Clyvedon Estate. Frédéric Soulacroix perfectly illuminates this idyllic time in his masterpiece Flirtation.

Wishing all of our dear readers a magnificent day of love this Sunday, from Tatler — the original Lady Whistledown.

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