Portret van mevrouw Pond 1766

Jonathan Spilsbury's mezzotint engraving portrays a woman known as Miss Pond, and was made at some point in the late 1700s. The fashions worn by Miss Pond conform to the stylistic conventions of elite portraiture in Britain at this time. She wears jewelry, lace, and feathers, all signifiers of wealth. Britain in the 18th century was a nation undergoing rapid social and economic change. A growing empire and nascent industrial revolution created new avenues for wealth and social mobility. The Royal Academy, founded in 1768, sought to professionalize artistic production. Engravings such as this one helped to distribute images and solidify a canon of taste. What might seem like a simple portrait actually reflects a complex interplay of artistic, social, and economic forces. Further research into Spilsbury's career, the print market, and the Pond family might reveal more about the public role of art and the social conditions that shaped its production at the time.