Lady Elizabeth Compton

About this work

This portrait shows a woman in a flowing white dress with a high, puffy hairdo. She leans lightly on a stone ledge, one arm resting behind her. Her necklace has a round pendant, and her dress drapes loosely over her body. Behind her, a dark forest meets a path lined with trees, and a cloudy sky looms above. The artist used shading to create depth, especially in her face and the background trees. This was a common trick in prints to make figures look three-dimensional. Look up chiaroscuro to see how artists used light and shadow like this.