Lady Smith 1787

Joshua Reynolds painted Lady Smith, probably in the 1780s, using oil paints. Here we see Reynolds doing what he did best: a society portrait, capturing the sitter’s likeness and status for posterity. The key to Reynolds’s success was his loose, fluid approach to the medium. You can really see it here, in the way he captures the lacy shawl worn by Lady Smith, and the feathered decorations on her hat. Reynolds uses broad strokes to suggest the play of light on these textiles. It’s a painterly technique – meaning that the brushstrokes themselves are visible. Of course, the clothes themselves had a social significance. The lace and feathers declared Lady Smith’s wealth, and Reynolds’s virtuoso handling of paint confirms his own position. By emphasizing material and making, we can begin to understand the deep relationship between art, labor, and the wider world.