This essay explores the relationship between knowledge and sociability in eighteenth-century England through a discussion of two female collectors and their collections. The friendship between Elizabeth Montagu (1718–1800) and Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland (1715–1785) was founded upon a shared enthusiasm for the art of conversation and the ambition to create communities of learning in which both sexes could flourish. The duchess’s natural history collection at Bulstrode Park and Montagu’s London salon, adorned with its own combination of nature and art, are compared as parallel sites that attracted visitors from a diverse range of professions, nationalities and political persuasions. For elite women, sociability and the assembling of people were integral to the pursuit and display of knowledge. The work of Mrs Montagu and the duchess as collectors reveals the complex relationship between science, sociability and aesthetics that characterizes the history of collections.

中文翻译：

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收集人：蓝袜子社交和知识的组装

本文通过对两位女性收藏家及其藏品的讨论，探讨 18 世纪英国的知识与社交能力之间的关系。伊丽莎白·蒙塔古 (1718-1800) 和波特兰公爵夫人玛格丽特·卡文迪什·本廷克 (1715-1785) 之间的友谊建立在对谈话艺术的共同热情和建立两性都能蓬勃发展的学习社区的雄心之上。公爵夫人在布尔斯特罗德公园和蒙塔古伦敦沙龙的自然历史收藏品以自然与艺术的结合为装饰，被比作平行的地点，吸引了来自不同职业、国籍和政治信仰的游客。对于精英女性来说，社交和人群聚集是追求和展示知识不可或缺的一部分。