Lady in White Dress

This portrait of a lady with beautiful and softly shimmering cone curls shows charm and gracefulness, an effect which is intensified by the lady's natural posture and the symbolic colours white and blue. Mutel, who studied with Lizinka de Mirbel, created a strong portrait with an individual expression. The lady's hairstyle, untypical for the time when this miniature was created, copies a fashion of the late 17th century which reached new popularity in the 1830's. In the 1840's, however, curls were no more fashionable and the hair was smoothed down, twisted and fixed at the back of the head (see portraits by Meuret).