France, late 18th-early 19th century / c. 1801
Sophie Crouzet
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Sophie Crouzet as painting (France, late 18th-early 19th century · c. 1801).
Sophie Crouzet, the sitter in this portrait, is a first cousin of the artist.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on fabric and credits Louis Hersent (French, 1777–1860).
The museum's collection notes: The sitter's dress deliberately evokes ancient Roman costume. However, the white muslin and straightforward cut also derives from earlier English fashions that favored simplicity in contrast to the elaborate, colorful clothing favored earlier in the 1700s. The transparency of her dress also carries political and cultural meaning: during the French Revolution in 1789, costume began to signify political allegiance, a sign of the character of the person who wore it. For women, transparency became increasingly literal, as in the sheer fabric worn by Crouzet, who came from a family of active revolutionaries.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtSophie CrouzetOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.