Mrs. Elizabeth Coffin Amory 1775

John Singleton Copley painted this portrait of Mrs. Elizabeth Coffin Amory with oil paint on canvas, materials that had become standard for ambitious likenesses in the 18th century. Look closely and you’ll see that the success of the work relies on the material qualities of the paint itself. Consider the way Copley deploys thin washes of color in the background, setting off the more substantial rendering of the sitter’s face. The textures of the dress are especially telling. Notice how the satin of the dress catches the light, and drapes around the sitter's body. These are not only artistic choices, but also social statements. To have a portrait like this made for you meant that you had the financial resources to commission a highly skilled painter, and to purchase an expensive dress. So while Copley’s technical mastery is impressive, it's also important to understand the painting as the product of labor, commerce, and a society with very strict ideas about class. By understanding the materiality of the artwork, we gain a deeper understanding of its cultural significance.