Arabella Proffer has created a fictional National Portrait Gallery, whose works are a juxtaposition of modernity with aristocratic tradition. Her subjects sport twenty-first century punk and gothic styles as part of their formalwear, but without the mohawks and piercing, each portrait resembles typical late medieval or Renaissance portraits. Proffer notes: "this series centers around balance of counter-culture and tradition; how punk or gothic styles might be adopted by royalty and socialites for serious portraits left as a reminder of their legacy. What was once considered rebellious has now become widely accepted. Traditionally, each portrait preserves what may later be a historical moment. In the case of this series however, some the 'historical' moments are of my own imagination"
