Artwork
Mrs. Samuel Cutts
Mrs. Samuel Cutts is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Joseph Blackburn. It dates from 1762 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The painting titled Mrs.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Samuel Cutts, presented as a woman in a formal three-quarter-length composition.
The portrait depicts Anna Cutts, identified by the title Mrs. Samuel Cutts, presented as a woman in a formal three-quarter-length composition. Her attire features a dress trimmed with lace and an armband, and she holds a flower, elements that collectively convey refinement and genteel status typical of mid-eighteenth-century portraiture. The inclusion of a flower held in the hand is a conventional symbol of femininity, youth, and natural beauty, while the lace and armband signal wealth and social standing.
As a portrait of a specific individual, the work functions both as a likeness of Anna Cutts and as a representation of the cultivated identity of the sitter within her social milieu.
Technique & Style
Mrs. Samuel Cutts is executed in oil on canvas, a standard support for mid-eighteenth-century British and colonial American portraiture. The painting measures 127.6 by 102.9 centimeters, a substantial half-length format suited to formal society portraiture. Stylistically, the work belongs to the portrait tradition associated with Joseph Blackburn, who was active in the American colonies and England during the 1760s.
The depicted sitter is rendered with attention to fashionable costume details, including a dress, lace, an armband, and a flower, elements that demonstrate Blackburn's careful handling of textiles and accessories to convey the sitter's status. The composition centers on Anna Cutts as the principal subject, presented in the conventional pose of the period. No information regarding the painting's current condition or conservation history is documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
The portrait is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified within The American Wing. According to the Wikidata record for the work, its collection and location are both listed as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. No accession number is provided in the available sources.
Likewise, the supplied records do not document any exhibition history for the painting, and none can be reported.
Overview
The painting titled Mrs. Samuel Cutts is an oil on canvas portrait depicting a woman seated and facing the viewer. This work offers a window into the conventions of 18th-century American portraiture, reflecting the era's approach to capturing individual likeness and social standing. The direct gaze and composed posture of the sitter are characteristic elements of formal portraiture from this period.
Artist & collection
Artist
Joseph Blackburn (died 1787) was an English painter who worked mainly in British North America. His notable works include portraits of Hugh Jones (circa 1777) and Colonel Theodore Atkinson (circa 1760).
