Portrait of a Man in a Tricorn Hat 

Curator: Up next, we have a charcoal drawing titled “Portrait of a Man in a Tricorn Hat" by Georg Friedrich Schmidt. Editor: My initial feeling is of quiet confidence—or perhaps stubbornness? There’s something very determined in that gaze, yet also a touch world-weary. It's rendered in a warm reddish-brown... sanguine, I suppose you’d call it? It gives the piece an approachable feel, despite the subject’s serious demeanor. Curator: Absolutely. And consider that tricorn hat – a very specific marker of status and period. Beyond just a fashion statement, these hats often denoted military or political affiliation. So, that stubbornness you pick up on? Maybe it’s the steeliness required to navigate those worlds. The softness of the medium somewhat softens the image, however. It lacks the visual punch that darker tones might provide. Editor: I do see how this isn't some austere oil painting shouting about power, but rather a drawing. It's quite intimate. This might be a preparatory sketch, you think? It almost captures the fleeting nature of inner thought. Are we catching him in a private moment of reflection or resolution? And that sanguine tone connects with the flesh; you almost feel his blood pumping beneath his skin. Curator: Possibly. Schmidt was an accomplished engraver as well, so a study like this could definitely inform a more formal work. This piece feels more exploratory. I’m fascinated by how the hatching seems almost frenzied in places, and smooth in others—especially when capturing the volume of that powdered wig! To consider it in terms of activism…perhaps it's important to remember this wasn't just a “look.” A powdered wig, clothing, accessories—they were all ways to visually reinforce a strict social hierarchy, and this portrait situates the sitter squarely within that elite framework. Editor: Precisely! Yet, I also find a challenge to such pronouncements, because you almost feel that the person that is painted in it goes way further beyond just being an echo of what the expectations of status would demand from the sitter. You want to imagine stories of resistance despite everything. Thank you, that perspective enriches this so much. Curator: A fruitful perspective, and food for thought indeed!