Portrait of a Lady
Ralph Earl, American, 1751 - 1801
1784
Oil on canvas
Overall: 48 1/2 × 37 1/2 in. (123.2 × 95.3 cm)
Frame: 55 7/8 × 44 7/8 in. (141.9 × 114 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through the Katharine T. and Merrill G. Beede 1929 Fund, the Phyllis and Bertram Geller 1937 Memorial Fund, the Mrs. Harvey P. Hood W'18 Fund, the Guernsey Center Moore 1904 Memorial Fund, the Robert J. Strasenburgh II 1942 Fund, the Julia L. Whittier Fund, the Hood Museum of Art Acquisitions Fund and through gifts, by exchange
P.990.43
Geography
Place Made: United States, North America
Period
1600-1800
Object Name
Painting
Research Area
Painting
Not on view
Inscriptions
Signed, dated and inscribed, lower left: R. Earl/Pinxit/1784
Label
During the 18th century, American portraitists looked primarily to British painting for inspiration, as evidenced by this fashionable likeness by New England painter Ralph Earl. In 1784, the year in which he painted this portrait, Earl was working in Windsor, England. This work’s somewhat generalized landscape, the sitter’s gracefully tilted head, and the costume’s fluid, painterly treatment all reflect the height of British taste in portraiture. Although the sitter for this portrait is unidentified, her confident gaze and stylish attire indicate a prominent social background, and the letter she holds, which is only partially legible, may suggest the romantic attentions of a male admirer.
Interestingly, when Earl returned to America in 1785 or 1786, he rejected the elegant British manner seen here and adopted instead a “plain” style of firm forms and bright, saturated colors. This shift may suggest that his American clientele preferred to present themselves in a style less closely associated with British aristocracy.
From the 2019 exhibition American Art, Colonial to Modern, curated by Barbara J. MacAdam, Jonathan L. Cohen Curator of American Art
Course History
HIST 9.1, Empires and Colonies in North America, Paul Musselwhite, Fall 2014
HIST 9.01, America: From Invasion to Independence, Paul Musselwhite, Fall 2019
HIST 5.14, Americas: Invasion to Independence, Paul Musselwhite and Ernesto Mercadeo-Montero, Fall 2022
History 5.14, Americas: From Invasion to Independence, Ernesto Mercado-Montero and Paul Musselwhite, Fall 2023
Exhibition History
A Space for Dialogue 26, Feminine Genius: Sensibility, Sensuality, and Sense in Eighteenth-Century Portraiture, Kori Lisa Yee Litt, Class of 2005, Curatorial/Education Department Intern, Main Lobby, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, May 23-July 10, 2005.
American Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art, William B. Jaffe and Evelyn A. Jaffe Hall Galleries, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 9-December 9, 2007.
American Art, Colonial to Modern, Israel Sack Gallery and Rush Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 26-July 21, 2019.
American Viewpoints: Painting and Sculpture from the Hood Museum of Art, Timken Museum of Art, San Diego, California, May 5-August 31, 2003.
Israel Sack Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 26, 1991-June 1, 1993.
Israel Sack Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, August 29, 2000-June 3, 2001.
Israel Sack Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, December 23, 1997-May 28, 1998.
Israel Sack Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, December 7, 2010-October 17, 2011.
Israel Sack Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, February 23-September 12, 1999.
Israel Sack Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 5, 2001-May 11, 2002.
Israel Sack Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 26, 1996-June 22, 1997.
The Object World, Harrington Gallery Teaching Exhibition, ARTH2, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, February 5-March 15, 2015.
Publication History
Kori Lisa Yee Litt, A Space for Dialogue 26, Feminine Genius: Sensibility, Sensuality, and Sense in Eighteenth-Century Portraiture, Hanover, New Hampshire: Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, 2005, ill. p. 1.
Barbara J. MacAdam, American Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Muesum of Art, Hanover: Trustees of Dartmouth College, 2007, p. 21, no. 1.
Barbara J. MacAdam, Building on Dartmouth's Historic American Collections: Hood Museum of Art Acquisitions since 1985, The Magazine Antiques, November 2007, New York: Brant Publications, color ill. p. 145.
Provenance
Anna Case Mackay; Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc., New York, New York; sold to present collection, 1990.
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