Emily Winthrop Miles (Mrs. Corey Lucien Miles) 1924

Editor: Here we see John Singer Sargent’s sketch of Emily Winthrop Miles, done in 1924. The economy of line is striking! What can you tell me about it? Curator: Let's consider Sargent’s choice of graphite. It’s a readily available, relatively inexpensive material. Why not oil, for instance? Could this portrait have been a preparatory sketch or a commercial venture, a way to democratize portraiture for a rising class? Editor: That’s interesting! It reframes how I see it. Curator: Think also about the sitter's garments— the material, the implied labor in their construction. Does the detail in the clothing suggest anything about Miles's social standing or perhaps Sargent’s attention to specific details of production and class? Editor: I see your point. Thank you. Curator: Of course. It’s all about considering the materiality and the processes behind it.