Portrait of Miss Mary Tadman

About this work

Mary Tadman looks straight at you, her dark curls framing a pale face. She wears a white dress with tiny embroidered flowers and a pearl necklace that glows against her skin. This tiny portrait—smaller than a postcard—was painted to be carried like a photo in a locket. John Smart made hundreds like it, each one sharp enough to show every eyelash. The braid across her hairline is so fine you can almost count the strands. For more faces from this time, look up England, 18th century.