Study for ‘The Marriage of Miss Whichcote of Harpswell with the Dean of York’-II c. 1749

Editor: This is Joseph Highmore’s Study for ‘The Marriage of Miss Whichcote of Harpswell with the Dean of York’-II, and it’s in the Tate collection. It’s a pencil drawing, and it feels very delicate. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Consider the paper itself, the labor involved in its production, the graphite mined and formed into a drawing tool. Highmore used these materials to negotiate social standing. How does the sketch, the means of production, reflect or critique the very scene it depicts, a marriage rooted in societal expectations and economic exchange? Editor: That's interesting! So you're thinking about how the materials themselves connect to the themes in the drawing? Curator: Precisely. The fragility of the sketch hints at the constructed nature of these unions, highlighting the material basis of social rituals. This forces us to think about the labor involved in creating and maintaining this spectacle. Editor: I hadn't considered the connection between the actual materials and the subject of the drawing like that. Thanks! Curator: It's a way to see beyond the surface and understand the deeper connections between art and its world.