Portrait of a Woman (from McGuire Scrapbook) 1839 - 1843

This delicate "Portrait of a Woman" was made by Thomas F. Hoppin, sometime in the mid-19th century, and it comes to us from a scrapbook. Rendered in graphite on paper, the drawing exemplifies the prevailing aesthetic of the era. The artist's fine hand coaxes nuanced gradations of tone from the graphite, building up an image of soft, ethereal beauty. Notice how the strokes of graphite are more definite around the subject's face, then loosen and fade toward the shoulders, almost as if she were emerging from a mist. Graphite, though simple, was an essential material during the Industrial Revolution. Its use extended from pencils to lubricants for machinery. Here, Hoppin coaxes from this everyday substance a likeness of refinement, demonstrating the permeability of class boundaries in the creative arts. The very act of drawing, with its inherent intimacy and immediacy, underscores the human touch in an age of increasing mechanization. In the end, it is this synthesis of material, process, and social context that gives the portrait its enduring resonance.