VISUAL ACTIVITY Dolley Madison, by Rembrandt Peale The “presidentress” of the Madison administration sat for this portrait in 1817 when she was close to fifty and just exiting from the White House. She wears a fashionable satin empire waist dress featuring a low-cut bodice and flowing gown that dropped from the high waistline straight to the ground. Mrs. Madison was noted for her unusual turbans and her unfailing good cheer, as her impish smile conveys. ©Bettmann/Corbis. READING THE IMAGE: Does the scarf around her shoulders appear to have a functional value for this outfit? Is there any function associated with the collar around her neck? CONNECTIONS: What kind of role were female relatives of politicians expected to play in the early Republic?