J. F. Clemens 1779

This portrait of J. F. Clemens was made by Marie Jeanne Clemens, sometime before 1791. It captures the sitter holding a book, in an engraving. Prints like these were part of a growing industry across Europe at this time. They reveal a market for images of important public figures, such as Clemens, who was a fellow artist. The book, as an attribute, suggests that the sitter is educated, perhaps an intellectual. We might consider this image in relation to institutions such as the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where both artist and sitter were connected. Was this image made for the market, or for a more private circulation amongst friends and family? Understanding the image’s original context, its social world, requires the work of historians, using a range of resources, from account books and letters, to prints and paintings. By studying these sources, we can understand the image’s place in its world.