Portret van Richard Arkwright 1840 - 1855

This is Johann Georg Nordheim's portrait of Richard Arkwright, made sometime before 1853, the year of the artist's death. Arkwright was a leading entrepreneur during the Industrial Revolution in Britain, and the portrait gives us insight into the social and economic values of the time. Arkwright's pose is self-assured, embodying the rising merchant class. His somewhat disheveled attire suggests a man engrossed in his work, unconcerned with aristocratic conventions. Beside him, the spinning wheel symbolizes technological advancement, the engine of social mobility. The portrait reflects the shifting power dynamics of 19th-century Europe. While aristocratic patronage of the arts persisted, a new class of industrialists was emerging as patrons, and subjects, of art. To fully appreciate this piece, consult economic histories and business records from the period. Art like this reminds us that artistic expression is always shaped by prevailing social and institutional forces.