X-radiograph(s) of "Susannah Powell Mason (Mrs. Jonathan Mason)" 

Editor: This is an x-ray of Gilbert Stuart's "Susannah Powell Mason," revealing what lies beneath the surface of the portrait. It's like seeing the ghost of the artistic process. What secrets do you think this peek behind the curtain reveals? Curator: For me, it’s less about secrets and more about whispers. The visible underdrawing suggests a restless spirit—Stuart searching for the perfect composition, adjusting angles, a little nip here, a little tuck there! It feels so human, so wonderfully fallible. Editor: That's a lovely way of putting it! It humanizes the art-making. Curator: Precisely! And in doing so, perhaps it also humanizes Susannah herself, don’t you think? It is as if we are seeing what is under her public persona. Editor: I hadn't thought of that, but it makes perfect sense. Thanks for sharing your insights! Curator: My pleasure! It's a refreshing perspective, isn't it? We can admire the beauty, but we also see the bones beneath, so to speak.