Portrait of an Old and a Young Woman 1790 - 1810

Johns created this miniature double portrait of an old and a young woman, likely in the late 18th or early 19th century. The image invites us to consider how the public role of art reinforces social structures around family and gender. We can see how this image creates meaning through visual codes. The artist contrasts youth and age, beauty and experience. The difference in their dress reflects class and status. The institutional role of portraiture often served to reinforce the social hierarchies. Was this painting commissioned to celebrate family lineage or to mark a significant life event? The answers might be found through genealogical records, social histories of portraiture, and studies of women's roles in the period. Historians analyze art by exploring the social conditions in which it was made. The meaning of this artwork is contingent on a specific cultural context.