Jane, Countess of Harrington 1780

Curator: Here we have Valentine Green's 1780 mezzotint engraving, "Jane, Countess of Harrington." What strikes you about it? Editor: The light is amazing, especially considering it's an engraving. Look how the highlights on her dress give it a fluid, almost liquid quality. You can almost feel the silk. Curator: Indeed. It's a fantastic example of the way mezzotint could mimic the textures and tonalities of oil paint, democratizing access to portraiture in a way previously unimaginable. This print allowed those who couldn't afford an oil painting to own a likeness of Lady Harrington. Editor: Absolutely. And it speaks to the labor involved. Mezzotint is such a painstaking process. Think about the rocker, the burnisher, all the manual work used to create these subtle gradations. It highlights the material conditions of image production in the 18th century. Curator: Precisely. Green was a master of manipulating these materials to capture the likeness and social standing of his subject. It presents Jane as not only a beautiful woman, but also as a woman of taste and refinement. The landscape, though idealized, suggests her connection to the land, the source of her family's wealth and status. It emphasizes aristocratic values within England at the time. Editor: Though it is romanticized! Note the artificiality: The way the billowing dress seems designed to display the wealth and privilege of the Harringtons rather than for movement or comfort. It reminds us how much of this representation is constructed and circulated as a commodity. The very consumption of this image is part of what cemented the Countess's role in society. Curator: A critical point. The print's circulation reinforced social hierarchies even as it seemingly made them more accessible. Editor: This print’s visual strategies still speak to modern portraiture even now. Consider the light, the pose, the background landscape to craft a desired image of luxury. The material and social processes it took to produce still hold a strange echo. Curator: Indeed, a fascinating confluence of skill, society, and material.