Jonge glimlachende vrouw met perziken c. 1760 - 1790

James Watson created this mezzotint of a young woman with peaches in the 18th century. This print translates the sensual and playful aesthetic of Rococo painting into a more accessible medium for a wider audience. Mezzotint, a printmaking technique that creates tones through thousands of tiny dots, allowed for the reproduction and distribution of images, playing a crucial role in shaping public taste and artistic trends in England. Prints like these were often based on portraits of actresses and society women, which circulated as commodities catering to the rising middle class's interest in fashion and celebrity. The sitter's coy smile and the abundance of fruit suggest themes of beauty, fertility, and perhaps even the transience of youth, ideas very fashionable at the time. Studying fashion plates and other popular imagery from the time, we can better understand how the image engages with contemporary notions of femininity and social status. The print is both an artwork and a historical document.