Portrait of Jonathan Richardson, Junior, the artist's son 1729

Jonathan Richardson the Elder rendered this portrait of his son, Jonathan Richardson the Younger, with chalk on paper. The most striking element is the soft cap, or "nightcap," worn indoors. Though seemingly domestic, this head covering echoes ancient symbols of freedom and civic identity, like the Phrygian cap. Consider its distant cousin, the Pileus, worn by freed Roman slaves, a potent symbol of liberty. This cap resurfaces in the French Revolution as the bonnet rouge, a symbol of revolutionary fervor. Here, in a more subdued form, it hints at intellectual pursuits and private contemplation rather than outright rebellion. The act of veiling, itself, carries layers of meaning across cultures, suggesting both concealment and revelation. In this image, it softens the sitter's features, inviting a deeper psychological engagement. These symbols reveal how images traverse time, constantly accumulating new layers of significance.