Portrait of a Woman 19th century

This portrait of a woman, made with graphite on paper, possibly by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres in 1821, invites us to consider the institutional role of portraiture in the 19th century. The image creates meaning through several visual codes: The sitter's turban evokes the exoticism that was fashionable at the time, while the delicacy of the drawing reflects the Neoclassical style which still dominated the French Academy. France, in the 1820s, was a society undergoing immense change after the Revolution. The Bourbon Restoration sought to reinstate traditional hierarchies. Portraiture, long used by the aristocracy, was now a means of establishing social status among the rising bourgeoisie. The question arises: Is this work a commission or a more personal drawing? Art historical research, looking into the sitter's identity and the artist's biography, might reveal more about the social dynamics represented here. Art, after all, is deeply embedded in its time.