Mrs. Teakes 1812 - 1827

Anne Teakes made this portrait of Mrs. Teakes with graphite on ivory, sometime in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. The smooth surface of the ivory would have allowed Teakes to achieve fine detail, and the subtle gradations of tone seen in the sitter's face and clothing. Graphite, essentially processed carbon, became a widely available drawing material during this period. The pencil, as we know it, was an innovation that allowed for clean, controlled application. Portrait miniatures like this one were often presented as tokens of affection or remembrance, and kept close at hand. Although the work involved skill, its value was as much sentimental as artistic. Mrs. Teakes’s solid presence and frank expression also convey something about the emerging middle class. The portrait’s very intimacy is a kind of quiet assertion. So next time you encounter a small portrait like this, consider how its materials, making, and purpose are all closely intertwined, offering us a glimpse into a specific time and place.