Portrait of a Woman, Called Maria Taylor Byrd 1700 - 1725

This is Sir Godfrey Kneller’s ‘Portrait of a Woman, Called Maria Taylor Byrd’. Painted in the late 17th or early 18th century, it embodies the social and cultural values of the British upper class. Kneller, as a leading portraitist, captured the likeness and status of his sitters, often reinforcing prevailing ideals of beauty, femininity, and social standing. The woman’s elegant satin dress and poised demeanor signal her privileged status and role in society. But, there’s a quietness to the painting – perhaps a melancholy – that hints at the emotional landscape behind the composed facade. The sitter is believed to be Maria Taylor Byrd, an American colonist whose family's wealth was generated from enslaved labor. With the cup in her hand, she appears lost in thought, as though reflecting on the complexities of her position. The portrait sits in a tradition of representation, but invites us to consider the narratives of the woman and the society she inhabited, and to ponder the emotional weight of her world.