A new exhibition at Chawton House will invite visitors to step into the glittering world of 18th-century evenings, revealing the fashion, etiquette and excitement behind a night out between 1750 and 1820.

Dressing Up: Fashion and Nightlife in 18th-Century Hampshire, showing from October 3 until April 4 next year, will follow the journey from getting ready to getting there and getting entertained.

Through rare books, manuscripts, fashion plates and artworks from Chawton House, alongside clothing and accessories on loan from private collections, the exhibition uncovers the rituals that transformed an ordinary evening into a fashionable occasion.

Visitors will discover elegant clothing and accessories, including an intricately embroidered waistcoat from the 1730s and a 1799 fan made from magazine pages, alongside the objects that helped create a successful night out.

From underwear, wig curlers and cosmetics recipes to sedan chairs, gambling tokens and theatre tickets, the exhibition reveals the practical details behind Georgian social life.

Along the way, contemporary newspaper reports, satirical caricatures and literary extracts bring the period to life.

Accounts by writers including Jane Austen, Frances Burney and Ann Radcliffe reveal the pleasures and perils of life after dark, while humorous prints poke fun at beauty regimes and the lengths people went to in pursuit of fashion.

The exhibition also shines a spotlight on Hampshire itself. Visitors can explore the county's assembly rooms, theatres, pleasure gardens and country houses, discovering how local communities embraced an increasingly vibrant nightlife despite long journeys, unlit roads and the ever-present risk of highway robbery.

Co-curated by Dr Julie Gammon and Professor Maria Hayward from the history department at the University of Southampton, and supported with a grant from the Ardeola Charitable Trust, Dressing Up combines fashion, literature and local history to offer a fresh perspective on what a night out really meant more than two centuries ago.

Deputy director Kim Simpson said: “Collaboration is at the heart of what we do at Chawton House, and we are delighted to work with colleagues at the University of Southampton to bring their research to a wider audience.

“This exhibition is a wonderful example of the ways that such research can tell fresh stories and bring history to life. By combining fascinating objects, rare books and manuscripts with the expertise of our academic partners, we hope visitors will discover the rich social and material worlds that existed beyond the pages of 18th-century literature.”

Professor Hayward and Dr Gammon said: “Night-time cultures are historically elusive, so it is exciting and challenging to uncover how people experienced going out after dark in the 18th century.

“A big night out is something that most of us enjoy today but this exhibition reveals the historical continuities in the many pleasures and perils associated with night-time entertainments.”

Whether visitors are fascinated by Georgian fashion, Jane Austen’s world or Hampshire’s rich social history, Dressing Up promises an entertaining glimpse into an age when preparing for an evening out could take hours but was all part of the spectacle.

The exhibition will be accompanied by tours, workshops, dressing demonstrations and Georgian suppers.