Mrs. Horton, Later Viscountess Maynard 

Joshua Reynolds painted "Mrs. Horton, Later Viscountess Maynard" using oil on canvas in 18th-century England. This portrait captures the sitter in fashionable attire, including a turban. The turban was a popular accessory influenced by increased trade with the Ottoman Empire and the vogue for Orientalism, reflecting the social and economic structures of the time. Reynolds, as a leading portrait painter and first president of the Royal Academy, played a significant role in shaping artistic taste and norms. The painting reflects the cultural fascination with exoticism and the consumption patterns of the British elite. The sitter’s pose and expression convey a sense of refinement but it also speaks to the conventions of portraiture used to affirm the sitter’s social standing. To further understand the painting, one could investigate the history of trade relations with the Ottoman Empire and examine fashion plates and other visual materials. The social and institutional contexts of artistic production are essential to understanding this and other works of art.