Portrait of The Hon. Mrs Harold Ritchie 

John Collier’s portrait of The Hon. Mrs Harold Ritchie is oil on canvas, a time-honored medium for depicting the wealthy and powerful. But it's worth considering the very materiality of the work. Oil paint is made of ground pigments suspended in oil, usually linseed, which gives it a slow drying time, allowing for blending and layering. This technique is evident here in the way Collier models Mrs. Ritchie's dress, capturing the sheen of the fabric, and the soft fall of light. Consider too the canvas itself, stretched and primed, a textile support prepared to receive the artist's vision. This material base highlights the amount of work involved in producing such a polished image. Collier engaged with the traditions of academic painting, and also with wider issues of labor and class. The portrait signifies not only the sitter’s status, but also the skilled work required to produce this image of refinement. By paying attention to the materials and making of the artwork, we can move beyond a simple appreciation of the image and understand its social and cultural significance.