Jonathan Henderson (1772-1833) 1798

Editor: This is a miniature portrait of Jonathan Henderson, painted by Robert Field in 1798. I’m struck by the subject’s pale complexion and the overall formality. How do you interpret this work, especially considering the period in which it was created? Curator: This piece really encapsulates the values and anxieties of the late 18th century. It is of course a portrait, intended to commemorate an individual. But portraits of this size were highly portable. How does that inform our viewing of this object and, further, who has access to portraits like this? Can we consider the colonial context of its creation – particularly for an artist like Field, who moved around the Atlantic world painting elites? How does that context challenge the supposed neutrality of neoclassical portraiture? Editor: That's fascinating! I hadn't considered the colonial connections so directly. So, by "neutrality", do you mean the way neoclassical art often seems to present idealized and seemingly objective images? Curator: Exactly! Think about how the subject is presented, with his composed demeanor and conventional dress. Neoclassical art often strives for a sense of timelessness and universal values, which can mask the specific power dynamics at play. Who gets to be portrayed, and how? These miniature portraits weren’t accessible to all; they signified status, wealth, and belonging within a certain class. It represents colonial wealth. Editor: So, seeing it as more than just a portrait, but as a marker of social status within a colonial context. It makes me wonder about the stories that aren’t being told. Curator: Precisely. And how these seemingly ‘simple’ images can reinforce larger narratives of power and exclusion. It really highlights the importance of interrogating the historical and social contexts embedded within art. Editor: I definitely have a new perspective now. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. It’s about continuously questioning whose stories are amplified and whose are silenced within these artistic representations.