Self-portrait 1807 - 1810

This is Joseph Wood's self-portrait, a small watercolor on ivory, made sometime in the early 19th century. Wood was an American artist, working in a period when cultural institutions in the United States were still in their infancy. Looking at this self-portrait, one could consider how the image works within the social conventions of its time. Portrait miniatures were popular among the middle and upper classes. They served as intimate keepsakes and markers of social status. Wood's choice to paint himself suggests his ambition and self-awareness as an artist forging a career in a new nation. To better understand Wood's place, we might look into the exhibition history of American portraiture, or examine how artists organized themselves professionally at the time. The meaning we find in Wood's self-portrait is contingent on the social and institutional context that shaped its creation and reception.