Belinda Lull Randall (1816-1897) c. 1840

Editor: Here we have a portrait of Belinda Lull Randall, believed to be by Cephas Giovanni Thompson. The subject is posed against a simple background. What stands out to you about this piece? Curator: Belinda's likeness is striking, but what I find compelling is the silence around her agency. Wealthy white women in this era were often painted as symbols of domesticity, but rarely as individuals with independent thought. What stories were silenced to produce this image? Editor: So, you see the portrait as a record of something absent? Curator: Exactly. By examining the social structure that confined Belinda to a role, we can question the narrative of female identity during this period. Editor: That's a powerful way to look at it. Curator: Indeed. It prompts us to consider what other identities and voices are missing from the art historical canon.