At first glance, Francis Cotes’ Miss Frances Lee is a sweet portrait of a girl. But a deeper analysis reveals hidden themes. That meaning is why curator Tanya Paul says the Milwaukee Art Museum has given the 1769 oil painting a whole exhibition.
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Why give one painting an exhibition?
What seems like a simple painting has a complex story. The Lee family moved to Jamaica to partake in the sugar cultivation industry, which exploited slave labor. Frances’ mother was a woman of color, and when her family moved back to England, her father petitioned for their legal marriage and the right for their children to receive his inheritance. Frances looks out at the audience in a very knowing and engaging way. It speaks to her complicated life.
What do you hope people take from the exhibition?
I hope it makes people think about their own lives, and how people in the future will look back on us. There are ways in which this painting is so distant from us, but it is also able to resonate today.
See “A Very Strong Likeness of Her” at MAM through Oct. 22.
