A woman with pale skin, wearing a shimmering, azure-blue gown, stands next to a child with a pale pink complexion, wearing a flame-red suit in this vertical portrait painting. The woman stands at the center of the composition with her body angled to our left, but she looks at us from the corners of her brown eyes. She has a straight nose, softly arched brows, and her full, coral-pink lips are closed. A hint of a shiny silver earring pokes through brown ringlets, and one curl falls over one shoulder. Two long, white feathers droop off the side of her wide brimmed, black hat. The bodice and full skirt of her blue dress are trimmed with bands of gold along the hems, down the sleeves, and down the front of the skirt. The blue fabric is covered with short, diagonal strokes of lighter blue. White fabric covers the front of her bodice under a tall, wide, stiff, lacy white collar that extends from her chin to her shoulders. Two rose-pink bows are tied on the white fabric on her chest. The cuffs of her elbow-length sleeves have layers of white ruffles. She touches her skirt with her left hand, to our right, and with the other touches a monkey on the boy’s shoulder. To our left, the boy’s body faces us but he looks up at the woman with dark eyes. He has rounded cheeks, and his lips are parted in a slight smile. His shoulder-length blond hair reaches to his wide, lacy collar. His red suit has long sleeves, and the coat is buttoned down the front. Ivory-white gloves reach back over his forearms, and the tops of his knee-high, fawn-brown boots are folded over. He raises his left arm, closer to the woman, to hold a monkey on a tether. The monkey stands with its feet on the boy’s forearm and its front paws on the boy’s shoulder. The woman and boy stand on a wide, curved, peanut-brown stone step. A fluted column rises to our right of the woman, and a gold, brocade curtain hangs down the right edge of the canvas, partially in front of the column. A pearl-encrusted crown is tucked into the folds of the curtain. On a ledge to our left of the woman, a miniature orange tree grows in a pot. The landscape beyond has soft green trees against a blue sky mostly screened with parchment-brown clouds.
Sir Anthony van Dyck, Queen Henrietta Maria with Sir Jeffrey Hudson, 1633, oil on canvas, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1952.5.39

Fashion

Artworks provide an invaluable record of fashion throughout history. See how art reflects trends of the time. See how meticulously artists represent details in clothing and accessories, from the sheen of silk to reflections in a pearl. 

  • A woman with pale skin, wearing a shimmering, azure-blue gown, stands next to a child with a pale pink complexion, wearing a flame-red suit in this vertical portrait painting. The woman stands at the center of the composition with her body angled to our left, but she looks at us from the corners of her brown eyes. She has a straight nose, softly arched brows, and her full, coral-pink lips are closed. A hint of a shiny silver earring pokes through brown ringlets, and one curl falls over one shoulder. Two long, white feathers droop off the side of her wide brimmed, black hat. The bodice and full skirt of her blue dress are trimmed with bands of gold along the hems, down the sleeves, and down the front of the skirt. The blue fabric is covered with short, diagonal strokes of lighter blue. White fabric covers the front of her bodice under a tall, wide, stiff, lacy white collar that extends from her chin to her shoulders. Two rose-pink bows are tied on the white fabric on her chest. The cuffs of her elbow-length sleeves have layers of white ruffles. She touches her skirt with her left hand, to our right, and with the other touches a monkey on the boy’s shoulder. To our left, the boy’s body faces us but he looks up at the woman with dark eyes. He has rounded cheeks, and his lips are parted in a slight smile. His shoulder-length blond hair reaches to his wide, lacy collar. His red suit has long sleeves, and the coat is buttoned down the front. Ivory-white gloves reach back over his forearms, and the tops of his knee-high, fawn-brown boots are folded over. He raises his left arm, closer to the woman, to hold a monkey on a tether. The monkey stands with its feet on the boy’s forearm and its front paws on the boy’s shoulder. The woman and boy stand on a wide, curved, peanut-brown stone step. A fluted column rises to our right of the woman, and a gold, brocade curtain hangs down the right edge of the canvas, partially in front of the column. A pearl-encrusted crown is tucked into the folds of the curtain. On a ledge to our left of the woman, a miniature orange tree grows in a pot. The landscape beyond has soft green trees against a blue sky mostly screened with parchment-brown clouds.

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Decorative Arts

Decorative arts are windows into the culture and styles of their periods. More than just decoration, they tell stories about customs and values. The metalworkers, ceramicists, weavers, cabinetmakers, or glassblowers who created the works are often anonymous. But they left a mark on history through their technical skills and innovative styles.

A young woman with pale, peachy skin, wearing a long, flowing white dress, stands in front of a white curtain in this vertical portrait painting. Her auburn-red hair cascades down over and behind her shoulders. She looks to our left with green eyes, and her pink, full lips are closed. Her dress has puffed shoulders above a white-on-white striped pattern on the long sleeves. She stands on an animal pelt; it is not clear whether it is a wolf or a bear. The pelt spans the width of the painting and overlaps a blue patterned carpet. The animal’s mouth gapes to show sharp teeth. Its glassy eyes are wide open, and it seems to look at us. The edges of the animal skin are red. The woman holds a white lily by her side in her left hand, while yellow and purple flowers lie scattered on the pelt.

British Painting

The evolution in British painting mirrors the changes to British style and society between the 18th and 21st centuries. Works in our collection range from Sir Joshua Reynolds’s life-size “Grand Manner” portraits of British aristocrats to John Constable’s realistic views of the English countryside.