The Mask of Civility.

The article discusses the significance of masks in colonial portraits such as that of John Wollaston's portrait of Charlestonian Ann Gibbes, in which she holds a mask of Venetian style. It notes that masked balls were highly popular before the American Revolution as a way for colonials to establish their British heritage. An English engraving from 1772 by Carington Bowles is cited, showing Lady Betty Bustle and her maid preparing for a masquerade in which the lady holds a mask similar to that held by Ann Gibbes. It notes that the colonial portraits served to define status but also to question the possibility of maintaining a civilized society in the North American context.