We’ve all had smartphones for long enough that sexting — the act of sending messages or pics to a crush , hoping to titillate — is pretty standard for anyone who’s getting into a new relationship.
People didn’t always have the luxury of portable communication devices in their pockets. But that doesn’t mean that they were any less randy.
We’d like to show you a piece of 19th-century art that demonstrates the fact that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
How Do You Sext Someone In 1828?
Photography was still in its infancy, so the best way to show your crush that you’ve got the good would probably be a painting, right? Fortunately, the person in question was an excellent artist.
While the painting has become extremely well known, art historians believe that it was only ever intended to be viewed by her secret lover.
First, We Need A History Lesson.
This is Sarah Goodridge (sometimes spelled Goodrich), a Massachusetts-born artist who became well-known for her miniature portraits in the first half of the 19th century.
Goodridge was renowned for her portraits of other artists, along with politicians and other notable figures of the time. One of her subjects, politician Daniel Webster, was believed to be her secret lover. Goodridge painted a well-known portrait of Webster. As it turns out, it wasn’t the only thing she painted for him.
The Piece Is Called ‘Beauty Revealed.’
It’s a picture of Sarah Goodridge’s boobs — nothing more, nothing less.
In case you’re wondering whether art historians can critique something that’s essentially a 19th-century invitation to a booty call, the answer is yes.
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“Goodridge costumed these breasts with youth, balance, paleness, and buoyancy,” wrote historian Chris Packard . “With masterly skill, she used the bare ivory’s luminescence to make the objects seem to glow in particular ways.”
It Was An Interesting History Lesson.
It’s easy to view people from the distant past as boring and staid, but it turns out humans have always been doing stuff like this. It’s just become a lot easier in the smartphone era. It’s just too bad that things didn’t work out between Goodridge and Webster.
It Was A Bold Gambit.
After gifting the portrait to Webster, it remained in his family’s possession until it was auctioned off in 1990. Sadly for anyone who was shipping Goodridge and Webster, they never got together in a non-secret capacity. Webster died in 1852 and Goodridge passed away the following year.
