Artwork
Catherine Keteltas Livingston
Catherine Keteltas Livingston is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin. It dates from 1798 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
This print shows a woman in a dark dress with white lace at her neck and wrists. The artist used tiny dots and lines to shade her face. The light hits her cheek and forehead just right.
The artist, Saint-Mémin, often made portraits like this. He worked in America around 1800. His style feels quiet and careful.
Check out another of his prints at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Overview
Created between 1797 and 1798, this print portrays Catherine Keteltas Livingston, a woman of the late‑eighteenth‑century American elite. Executed by Charles B. J. Févret de Saint‑Mémin, the work combines mezzotint and engraving on wove paper, later mounted on a brown‑toned sheet. The image presents a restrained, dignified portrait that reflects contemporary standards of genteel representation.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is shown in a dark gown trimmed with white lace at the neckline and wrists, a fashion choice that signals both modesty and refinement. Her composed expression, illuminated cheek and forehead, convey a calm poise typical of portraiture intended to affirm social status and personal virtue within her community.
Technique & Style
Saint‑Mémin employed the mezzotint process to achieve rich, velvety tones, while fine engraving lines define the delicate features of the face. The subtle gradations of light are rendered through a dense network of dots and lines, creating a soft modelling of skin that contrasts with the crisp delineation of the lace and dress.
History & Provenance
The print originates from Saint‑Mémin’s American period, when the French‑born artist produced a series of portrait prints for patrons in the United States around the turn of the nineteenth century. It has since entered public collections, with comparable works held by institutions such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin (French pronunciation: ; 1770–1852) was a French portrait painter and museum director.
