Isabella c. 1906

Simon Maris painted this work, Isabella, in the Netherlands, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. It is an oil on canvas. The painting shows a young woman of color, formally dressed and seated in an ornate chair. The style of dress and fan mark her as a member of a privileged class. What does it mean to see a person of color portrayed in this way, and by a white artist? The visual codes and historical associations of this image are complex. During this time, Dutch society was marked by its colonial past, which may have influenced the artist’s perspective and the reception of the painting. Was this painting done as a commission? Was it intended to signal a progressive and inclusive attitude? Or did it merely reflect and reinforce the existing social hierarchy? These are questions we might explore in relation to the artist's biography and the cultural context in which he was working. The historian's role is to reveal how art is always contingent on the social and institutional forces around it.