Portrait of an Artist (Self-Portrait ?), ca. 1775 - 1825

A female painter shows herself at work in early 19th century clothing. Artists have been using this pose for their self-portraits since the 17th century. That she would never wear such sumptuous clothes while painting is not important. It’s all about appearance. We do not know this woman’s identity. From 1780 onwards, wealthy women often took painting lessons, but they were not admitted to the academy. ometimes their art remained in the private sphere, sometimes they worked in studios. A few became independent artists. Like so many of her contemporaries, however, this painter’s name is lost to history. Even though in this work she explicitly draws our gaze towards her…