Portrait of a Lady

Notice the irregular patterns of this woman’s pleated collar and the elaborate bows in her hair. Like the delicate petals of the rose between her fingers, this confection of fabric flatters the features of the unidentified sitter in John Durand’s distinguished portrait. Though Durand lived in New York, he traveled throughout the United States in search of commissions. He may have worked in Norfolk during his visits to Virginia in 1770 and again in 1781–82.

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