Ties – Telling Tales of Men & Modish Life at the Top

One of my favourite portraits in history was painted by the very talented American artist John Singer Sargent (1856-1925). It is of Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale, which is now in the National Gallery of Australia.
Painted in 1902 it reveals the public face, rather than the private life of a man we are invited to ponder. History tells us that his lordship was an Edwardian aristocrat, a landowner, soldier, sportsman and a courtier. There are many indicators in this portrait that tell us a t