Miss Virginia Polk with Deer

As the nation became a democracy, Americans felt closely linked to the ancient Athenian democracy of the classical past, and a renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman history flourished. This reverence for the political and philosophical tenets of Neoclassicism was seen in the fine and decorative arts. In this portrait, the sitter poses in a classical landscape with a deer, recalling the attributes of Diana, goddess of the hunt and protector of wild animals.