Johanna Henriette Engelen (1789-1878), second Wife of Daniel Francis Schas 1826

Alexandre Jean Dubois Drahonet painted this portrait of Johanna Henriette Engelen with oil on canvas. While portraits can often seem like straightforward depictions, they are in fact carefully constructed representations. Consider the way Madame Engelen is presented. The soft lighting, her elegant dress, and composed expression all speak to her social standing. Drahonet was working in the early 19th century, a time of immense social change in France and across Europe. The old aristocratic order was giving way to a new, bourgeois society. Looking closely at this painting, one can see how it negotiates these changing social codes. It presents its sitter as both refined and respectable. Knowing more about the sitters' family background, and the institutions of portraiture in France at this time, help us to understand the image as a cultural artifact. These kinds of social and institutional histories are crucial to understanding the public role of art.