This text provides an exploration and reconsideration of Restoration portraiture, considering some of the most beautiful paintings of the period, portraits of women of prominence and influence within the court of Charles II, from royal brides and daughters to mistresses and actresses. By looking at the context in which these portraits were produced, the life-histories of the women and their reputations at the time and subsequently, this book, which includes previously unpublished material, sets out to shed new light on one of the most neglected areas of British art history.