Profile of a Woman c. 19th century

Editor: Here we have Elihu Vedder’s "Profile of a Woman," a delicate drawing held at the Harvard Art Museums. It feels unfinished, almost dreamlike. What do you make of it? Curator: Vedder’s choice to isolate the profile, alongside the disembodied ear, speaks volumes about the era's artistic consumption. Consider the role of academic drawing in the 19th century; it was a performance of skill, but also a demonstration of access to, and control over, the female image. Where does the unfinished quality you mentioned fit into this performance? Editor: I see what you mean. The incompleteness might be a way of both showing skill but also withholding complete ownership. It is interesting to think about how that incompleteness empowers the artist and the subject. Curator: Exactly. By understanding this, we see "Profile of a Woman" not just as a study, but as a complex negotiation of power, representation, and the art market itself.