A Seated Young Woman Wearing a Fashionable Hat
1800/1803
Medium
black chalk on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 34.2 x 21.8 cm (13 7/16 x 8 9/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2007.111.116
Art Historical Context
**A Seated Young Woman Wearing Fashionable Hat** (c. 1800–1803) by Carl Kolbe invites visitors into the refined world of early 19-century portraiture. Rendered in soft black chalk on laid paper textured support prized by draftsmen for its subtle grip—this intimate drawing measures 34.2 x 21.8 cm. The young woman sits gracefully, her elaborate hat nodding to the high-waisted Empire fashions popularized during the Napoleonic era, blending everyday elegance with aspirational style. Kolbe (1777–1835), a German artist celebrated for his precise etchings and vignettes often inspired by literature a...