Mary Little Gray Clinton
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
1798
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
1798
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
You see a small, dark oval portrait of a woman in a white dress. Her hair is pulled back tight. The artist used fine lines to shade her face. This tiny print shows off a fancy technique called mezzotint. It makes soft shadows that look almost real. Most artists skip this hard method today. Check out how Saint-Mémin, Charles B. J. Févret de made light seem to glow off the paper.
