Study for the Portrait of Madame Othenin d'Haussonville 1842 - 1845

Editor: Here we see Ingres's study for the Portrait of Madame Othenin d'Haussonville, housed at Harvard. It's a delicate pencil sketch, capturing a moment of thoughtful repose. What strikes you about this preparatory drawing? Curator: Consider how Ingres and his contemporaries utilized portraiture to reinforce social hierarchies. How do you think this study contributes to the construction of Madame d'Haussonville's identity and status? Editor: I see the faint grid lines, perhaps a way to transfer the sketch to a larger canvas. Curator: Exactly! And it's a study, a glimpse into the artist's process of refining an image intended for public consumption, framing her within specific cultural expectations. Editor: I hadn't considered it that way. It’s like seeing the scaffolding beneath a grand building. Curator: Precisely. Understanding this helps us decode the broader social functions of portraiture during that period.