Mme. de M ... en habit de bal
1746
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1746
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This is a black-and-white portrait of a woman in a fancy ballgown. She’s seated, holding a fan in one hand while resting the other on her lap. Her dress has ruffles, lace, and a high neckline with pearls. The background is plain, keeping all the focus on her. The image is an etching, which means it was printed from a metal plate instead of painted. The artist used fine lines to show the details of her clothes and jewelry. Next, look up etching to see how artists like this made prints.
