Portrait of a Young Woman
Colorful Madras fabric and blonde hair may appear innocent, but historical awareness of their meanings in the 1790s alerts us to how this sitter has foregrounded her whiteness during a period rife with the racialized terms of colonial struggle. The fabric, imported from India, was part of the Triangular Trade and worn frequently by Black women in the West Indies (Caribbean); in Paris, white women adopted it as a deliberately provocative flirtation with these horrible realities. Her hair is probably a blonde wig, which was highly popular for a short period around 1795 and was a means of doubling down on racialized whiteness as she cruelly played on the visual culture of the enslaved labor that sustained the French economy.
Artwork Details
- Title: Portrait of a Young Woman
- Artist: Attributed to Jean Antoine Laurent (French, 1763–1832)
- Date: ca. 1795
- Medium: Ivory
- Dimensions: Octagonal, 2 3/8 x 2 7/8 in. (63 x 73 mm)
- Classification: Miniatures
- Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Louis V. Bell, in memory of her husband, 1925
- Object Number: 25.106.16
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.