A Family Group of Five Persons, Knee-length 

Curator: This is a sketch of "A Family Group of Five Persons, Knee-length," by Joseph Highmore. Highmore, who lived from 1692 to 1780, captured a genteel intimacy here. Editor: It looks like a preliminary study; the pencil work feels so immediate. I wonder about the paper itself. Curator: Likely a high-quality rag paper, befitting a preparatory sketch for a potential commission. Highmore was a portraitist catering to the burgeoning middle class. Editor: The family's clothing signals their status. What kind of labor went into those textiles? The lace, the tailoring... Curator: Exactly! Highmore's portraits provided visual validation of social mobility and aspiration. The drawing itself is a commodity in waiting, a potential symbol of wealth. Editor: It also seems unfinished, an interesting view into the artistic process and labor involved in portrait making. Curator: Indeed. The sketch offers a glimpse behind the scenes of 18th-century portraiture and its function in society.