Suzanna Maria Crommelin (1780-1820), Wife of Egbert Johannes Koch c. 1814

Charles Howard Hodges painted "Suzanna Maria Crommelin, Wife of Egbert Johannes Koch" with oil on canvas. The composition centers on the sitter’s face framed by a frilled bonnet. Her gaze meets ours, lending an air of poised engagement. Hodges uses a muted palette, drawing attention to the texture, and the delicate lace collar around Suzanna’s neck and the soft shawl. The eye is drawn to the interplay between the dark background and the shawl’s rich colors. Considered formally, the painting operates within a set of aesthetic codes reflecting the subject's social standing, yet Hodges subtly destabilizes these through his almost tactile rendering of fabric and skin. The texture becomes a signifier, a way to understand the painting’s cultural underpinnings. By focusing on the material qualities of the paint, Hodges invites us to reconsider how portraiture communicates status and individuality.