Miss Schaum 1808 - 1810

Jacob Eichholtz painted this portrait of Miss Schaum in the early 19th century. In this period, the new republic was seeking to define itself and its values. Portraiture played a key role in shaping social status, cultural identity, and gender roles. This small oil on panel shows a young woman with delicate features, adorned with jewelry and a fashionable hairstyle. Her pale skin and demure expression conforms to ideals of femininity at the time. But what does it mean to represent someone in this way? Eichholtz was part of a growing artistic culture in the United States that emulated European artistic styles. Artists also were beginning to construct a uniquely American identity, independent from Europe. Institutions such as art academies and museums began to appear, and provided spaces in which these new aesthetics could be displayed. By studying portraits like this alongside historical records, we can uncover the complex social and cultural forces at play in the early American art world.