Ravenel was a partner in the firm of Ravenel Bros & Co., which conducted business in cotton as well as in ships. It is interesting to compare the likeness of Ravenel to portraits of young men by Malbone and by Fraser during the 1820s. Whereas Malbone and Fraser tended to emphasize the handsome features of their sitters and endowed them with a sense of vitality, Bounetheau's approach is more somber. This may reflect a change in taste (and may also be explained by the conservative nature of Bounetheau's sitters who frequently were merchants and businessmen).
Notes:
This text is adapted from Martha Severens "The Miniature Portrait Collection of the Carolina Art Association" published by the Carolina Art Association, 1984
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