Artwork

Portraits of Georges Arnold Fitzwilliam and Portrait of Eleanor Ramsay Fitzwilliam; a pair

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin , 1818

Portraits of Georges Arnold Fitzwilliam and Portrait of Eleanor Ramsay Fitzwilliam; a pair is a drawing by the Romanticist artist Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin. It dates from 1818 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Accession no.: 2024.35
Credit line: Alma Kroeger Fund

About this work

Overview

This pair of portraits, executed in black and white chalks, depicts Georges Arnold Fitzwilliam, a British merchant, and his American wife Eleanor Ramsay Fitzwilliam. Created by French émigré artist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin in New York, the works utilize a novel mechanical tracing device.

Subject & Meaning

The portraits capture the likenesses of Georges Arnold Fitzwilliam and Eleanor Ramsay Fitzwilliam, highlighting their social standing through attire, a dark coat for him and a high-necked dress for her. The precise, side-by-side profiles reflect the artist's innovative approach to portraiture.

Technique & Style

Saint-Mémin employed a physiognotrace, a mechanical device, to accurately trace the sitters' profiles. He then completed the portraits in black and white chalks, leveraging chiaroscuro to create depth through contrasting light and shadow, resulting in crisp, detailed renderings.

History & Provenance

Commissioned in New York, these portraits exemplify Saint-Mémin's successful adaptation to exile from the French Revolution. His clientele included prominent Americans, with each portrait commission accompanied by reduced-size etchings for distribution as keepsakes.

Context

Created during Saint-Mémin's American sojourn, these portraits reflect the intersection of French artistic innovation (physiognotrace technology) with the demand for precise, accessible portraiture among the early 19th-century American elite.