Portret van een Fins kamermeisje 1768

This is Louis Marin Bonnet’s undated “Portrait of a Finnish Chambermaid”, a delicate crayon manner engraving. Bonnet was known for his work after the paintings of others, especially François Boucher. Here, we see the woman in profile: her hair neatly coiffed, adorned with jewelry, her clothing suggesting a certain status, despite the designation of 'chambermaid'. The title, of course, frames our understanding, placing her within a specific social hierarchy, while the image itself complicates this. We might consider the complexities of identity and representation at play here. How does Bonnet negotiate the visual representation of labor and class? What does it mean to depict someone who is both present and absent from the historical record? In Bonnet's delicate lines, we can find a reflection of the societal norms and the personal stories that were often unseen. The artwork invites us to consider the lives and experiences of those whose stories might otherwise be lost.