Portrait of a Lady in Turkish Dress 

Editor: Here we have Susanna Duncombe’s "Portrait of a Lady in Turkish Dress," a miniature watercolor. The delicate rendering gives her an ethereal quality. How should we consider the “Turkish Dress” in this context? Curator: It's crucial to see this through a lens of cultural exchange and power dynamics. "Turkish Dress," or Turquerie, was a popular European trend. Do you think this portrait is simply about fashion, or something more? Editor: I suppose it could be about projecting power or wealth. What does it tell us about the subject and the artist? Curator: It reflects the sitter's, and perhaps Duncombe's, engagement with a globalizing world, even if filtered through a European lens. It’s a performance of identity, shaped by colonial undertones. Editor: I hadn't thought of it in that way. I see how the image participates in a larger social narrative. Curator: Exactly. By acknowledging this, we engage with its enduring relevance in understanding cross-cultural representation.