Mrs. Faith Wadsworth 

Editor: We're looking at John Trumbull's pencil drawing, "Mrs. Faith Wadsworth." There's a delicate quality to the linework, and the sitter's expression is so gentle and reserved. What do you see in this piece, in terms of the choices Trumbull makes about representing Mrs. Wadsworth? Curator: Trumbull gives us a glimpse into the evolving role of women through symbolic portraiture. The drawing style itself, the delicate pencil strokes, emphasizes a certain feminine ideal of the era: refined, delicate, intellectual, but in a muted way. It’s fascinating to observe that through Faith's gaze. Editor: Muted how? Curator: There’s a demureness. Note the modest, high neckline, her hair framing her face, almost like a halo. But those lively, curly wisps are also little rebellious signs. Those visual elements signify more than a simple likeness; what does she represent through the way the artist presents her? Editor: I hadn’t thought of that. So, beyond just being a portrait, it is showing her standing in society, maybe on the precipice of change? Curator: Precisely. How might Trumbull’s presentation both constrain and liberate her identity for the viewers of the time, but also now? The way visual language evolves provides an access point to social shifts. Editor: That's insightful! Looking closer, I see those subtle signs you’re talking about and, knowing it was made during a time of social change, you can imagine some level of deliberate signalling to societal status. Thank you, I have really learned from you.