Template:POTD/2020-09-06
Catherine Brass Yates is an oil-on-canvas painting created in 1793–1794 by American artist Gilbert Stuart. The work depicts Yates, the wife of a New York merchant, with her bony face and appraising glance, as too busy with her sewing to take time off to pose for the artist. The fabrics, skin tones and sewing implements are illustrated using a variety of thick, thin, opaque and translucent oil paints, and a meticulous attention to detail. The subject wears a mobcap, a round, gathered or pleated cloth, to cover her hair. This was an indoor fashion item of the period, and would have been worn under a hat for outdoor wear. The painting was acquired in 1940 by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it hangs today.Painting credit: Gilbert Stuart