Mrs Phillips, Wife of the China Man, Oxford Street 1814

Editor: Here we have John Linnell’s sketch, “Mrs Phillips, Wife of the China Man, Oxford Street,” from the Tate Collections. It's delicate, but she seems a bit severe. What strikes you about this portrait? Curator: The image holds a certain societal weight. Consider the title: she's defined by her husband's ethnicity and profession. Do you think Linnell captured a sense of her self-perception, shaped by these societal labels? Or perhaps her resilience against them? Editor: That's fascinating! I hadn't considered how much the title influences my reading of her expression. I see that now. Curator: It also speaks to the era's fascination with the "exotic" and how individuals were often perceived through that lens. It's a layered portrait, revealing more than just a likeness.