Source: Bradley Smith, Mexico: a History in Art. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday and Company, 1968, p. 211.
Image: "Dolores Tosta de Santa Anna, wife of Santa Anna", Juan Cordero, 1855. Oil on canvas.
Humanities questions: (A) Identify the style of this painting. (B) What elements does the painter use to characterize Mrs. (Señora de) Santa Anna? (C) What level of society does she belong to? (D) What leads one to believe that it is a Latin American painting from the romantic period? (E) Why does the artist surround the central figure with so many objects? (F) Do you aspire to live in similar circumstances?