Portrait of Richard Barrington, Later Fourth Viscount Barrington c. 1793 - 1794

Gilbert Stuart painted this portrait of Richard Barrington with oil on canvas. Stuart’s work, like that of many portraitists in his era, depended on a material supply chain reaching far beyond his studio. Pigments might be derived from mineral sources found on different continents, bound with oils pressed from flax grown in yet another place. The canvas itself was woven, sized, and stretched, all before Stuart even began to mix his colors. Consider the labor embedded in that deceptively simple surface. Not only Stuart’s own skill, but the many hands involved in preparing the materials he used. These supply chains were often supported by colonial systems of extraction and agriculture, and exploitation of labor. So, the next time you see an oil painting, remember that it represents not just the artist's vision, but the culmination of a complex network of making, labor, and value.