Blank page; verso: Marlborough Family, after Reynolds c. 1902 - 1905

Editor: This is John Singer Sargent's sketch, "Blank page; verso: Marlborough Family, after Reynolds." It's a graphite work on paper, and it feels like a quick study. What do you make of it? Curator: Sargent, drawing after Reynolds, engages with the established canon, right? But what does it mean to reproduce an image of aristocratic family? Is it critique, aspiration, or simply artistic exercise? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way. It makes me wonder about Sargent's own social positioning, and the families he chose to depict. Curator: Exactly. Reproduction always carries a political charge. Considering Sargent's portraiture within the context of class and power dynamics is essential. Editor: This really shifts my perspective. I see it now as more than just a copy. Curator: Precisely. Art history is never neutral.