The farmer is identified by his
whip and clothes; hat, neckerchief, vest, and loose-
fitting, cuffed trousers-all in good condition-
denote the prosperous yeoman. In contrast, the
figure of the painter projects the urban, cultured
type in his "indoors" dress: cravat and frilled shirt,
tailed coat, and tapered, tight-fitting pantaloons
with stirrups.6 The contrast establishes that the
farmer is a visitor from the natural, physical world
outside the artificial, intellectual studio world. Al-
though the figures may represent specific individ-
uals, their identities are unimportant. They are
objectified, typecast as character actors. The Paint-
er's Triumph is about William Sidney Mount as
the new American artist type...
Link:
The Painter's Triumph: William Sidney Mount and the Formation of a Middle-Class Art
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