Portrait of the Ladies Amabel and Mary Jemima Yorke
1761
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1761
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Two young sisters stand in a garden, one holding a basket of flowers, the other a straw hat. Their dresses are soft and billowy, almost like costumes, not what kids usually wore outside. Reynolds made up these outfits just for the painting. The girls’ father wanted a picture that showed off their family’s wealth and land. The loose clothes and open sky behind them were meant to look grand, not everyday. If you like how Reynolds painted light and fabric, look up sfumato—the way he blurred edges to make faces look soft.
