Portrait of a Lady

Unidentified · 1800

In the 1780s, women began wearing large mobcaps, which were made out of gauze or net. In this miniature the woman’s ruffled cap covers her entire head and has a large mauve bow in the front and a smaller one in the back. The artist portrayed the woman in profile to highlight the diamond earring that twinkles against her shawl. Her slight smile suggests she expected to be admired for her jewelry, which symbolized her wealth and status.