X-radiograph(s) of "Ann Gardiner"

Curator: Here we have an X-radiograph of "Ann Gardiner," originally painted by John Singleton Copley. The film measures 14 by 17 inches. Editor: It's fascinating. You can almost feel the layers, the materiality of the paint itself. It also reveals a level of the subject's vulnerability. Curator: Absolutely. Looking at this through a feminist lens, it provides a unique perspective on the sitter, Ann Gardiner, and the dynamics of representation in portraiture. Editor: And the means of production! Think about Copley’s studio, the pigments he chose, the labor involved—all now made visible in this ghostly echo. Curator: It makes you ponder the colonial gaze, power, and gender intersecting in this portrait. Editor: Quite! This radiograph invites us to consider the unseen history embedded within the artwork, both materially and conceptually.