Elizabeth Cook 1839

Thomas Sully painted this portrait of Elizabeth Cook with oil on canvas. Note how the very handling of paint seems to mimic the fineness of skin, the smoothness of cloth, and the delicate weaving of the basket. Sully was part of a generation of artists who had to make their own way, who had to fashion a visual language in the absence of firm cultural guidelines. And he does so, here, with remarkable sensitivity to social cues. He subtly weaves different aesthetic traditions, such as fine art and craft, into a harmonious whole. He uses brushwork, a delicate color palette and composition to highlight the subject's beauty. The basket in her hand, although a functional object, is rendered with an attention to detail that elevates it beyond mere utility. In this way, Sully brings together the fine art tradition of portraiture with the everyday objects of labor, hinting at a dialogue between the artist and the artisan. The painting invites us to look beyond the surface, and see how a combination of process, material, and social context come together to create a rich and multifaceted representation of Elizabeth Cook.