Portrait of a Woman with a Book, Etching Monogrammed D. B., 1787

About this sheet

An original eighteenth century etched portrait of a seated woman holding a book, monogrammed and dated in the upper right corner of the plate "D. B. f. 1787". The lettering is etched in reverse, so it reads backward on the printed sheet, a sign that the etcher wrote it directly on the plate. The sitter is not named.

The woman sits at a table, turned slightly to the left, and looks out at the viewer with a composed, kindly expression. She wears one of the towering bonnets of the 1780s, built of ruched fabric and lace and crowned with a large ribbon bow, over powdered curls, and a heavy fringed shawl of fur or deep pile is draped around her shoulders over a light gown with a ruffled front. Her hands rest on a book or folded papers laid on the edge of a table, and the setting is otherwise plain, with a lightly bitten wall behind her.

The etching is handled freely and with real verve: the fur of the shawl is suggested by dense, crisscrossing strokes, the bonnet by quick looping lines, while the face is drawn more finely. The "f." after the monogram stands for fecit, made it, and the free, sketchlike manner suggests a painter etcher or an accomplished amateur rather than a commercial engraver.

The small plate is printed on a large sheet with wide margins, which shows the full plate mark. Fashion historians will enjoy the bonnet and shawl, precise evidence of dress in the late 1780s.

This is an engaging and unusual portrait print, intimate in scale. It would frame well in a narrow molding with a broad mat and would suit a library, a bedroom or a collection of eighteenth century prints.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.