Half-Figure of a Young Woman 1782 - 1786

George Romney made this etching, “Half-Figure of a Young Woman,” in 18th-century England. The image is striking for its apparent informality: we seem to be encountering the sitter in a moment of private reflection. In its time, this would have signaled the Romantic ideal of sensibility, a quality prized in women, but also associated with the freedom of artistic genius. The sketch-like quality of the etching implies that it was made in the studio, perhaps as a study for a larger work. This was a time when the institutional art world was just emerging. The Royal Academy, for example, sought to elevate painting and sculpture to the level of the liberal arts and, in doing so, established a hierarchy between the finished artwork and the preparatory sketch. The work’s emphasis on the artist’s subjective feeling could be seen as a challenge to the established order. The social history of art involves the use of archival documents, such as letters, diaries, and financial records, to understand the conditions in which art was made and consumed. In this way, we can begin to understand the public role of art and the politics of imagery.