1778
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Les Deux Ami (The Two Friends) is a 1778 ink by John Raphael Smith, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This print shows two women sitting side by side, dressed in fancy 18th-century clothes. One wears a tall, feathered hat, while the other has a simpler cap. Both look relaxed, with one holding a fan and the other resting her hand on her lap. The background is dark and blurry, keeping the focus on their faces and outfits. The artist used a technique called *mezzotint*, which creates smooth, shaded tones by scraping a metal plate. This method was popular for detailed portraits. Next, look up etching to see how it differs from this print’s process.
John Raphael Smith (25 May 1751 – 2 March 1812) was a British painter and mezzotinter. He was the son of the landscape painter Thomas Smith and the father of John Rubens Smith, a painter who emigrated to the United States.
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