Portrait of F. Guilleret 1740 - 1780

Guillaume Thiemet created this print, titled "Portrait of F. Guilleret", sometime in the 18th century. During this era, French society was structured around rigid social hierarchies and norms, yet portraiture became increasingly popular among the middle class. Thiemet's rendering of Guilleret, however, doesn't quite fit traditional portraiture. The sitter is presented with what looks like a headscarf. This garment obscures conventional markers of status and gender, which were typically emphasized in portraiture. By obscuring these markers, the portrait seems to ask: What does it mean to represent a person when the visual cues we usually rely on are minimized? What does it mean to blur traditional representations of gender and status during a time of social change? This portrait invites us to consider the complexity of identity, particularly during periods of social and political transition, and how artists can push against these social conventions.