Italian three-quarter 1876

Anton Romako painted this oil on canvas, Italian three-quarter, sometime in the 19th century. It's an enigmatic depiction of a woman, probably intended to capture some essence of ‘Italianness.’ The woman's clothes function as visual codes. Her headscarf and shawl might seem like authentic peasant garb, yet, these were also the stock-in-trade of academic painting, a genre that was in retreat at this time. Romako seems to be playing with the conventions of ethnographic representation even while also subtly critiquing them. Was it an effort to capture local color, or something more complex? Perhaps it was a statement on the politics of display, given the vogue for displaying indigenous people in World Fairs? To answer these questions, scholars often turn to sources beyond the artwork itself. These may include travel accounts, costume books, and exhibition catalogues. Only by understanding the social and institutional context, can we truly grasp the meaning of this compelling image.