Empress Alexandra Feodorovna at the Coronation of Her Husband (detail) 1826

George Dawe painted this portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, likely in the 1820s, using oil on canvas. The artist’s hand is evident in the smooth blending of colors to capture the Empress’s likeness. But consider, too, the labor invested in the very materials of her regalia. The crown, necklace, and fur trim on her gown speak to a vast network of extraction, production, and consumption. Think of the miners who risked their lives to bring forth the precious stones, and the artisans who cut and set them with painstaking precision. Consider also the furriers, the textile workers who wove her gown, and the dressmakers who tailored it to her form. These skilled trades, often invisible in depictions of power, remind us that even the most seemingly effortless image is underpinned by countless hours of labor. By acknowledging the making of the materials represented here, we move beyond the surface and glimpse the complex social relations embedded in the artwork itself.