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Catalog Data

Attributed to:
Ralph Earl, born Worcester County, MA 1751-died Bolton, CT 1801  Search this
Sitter:
unidentified  Search this
Medium:
oil on wood
Dimensions:
10 1/4 x 7 7/8 in. (26.0 x 20.0 cm.)
Type:
Painting
Date:
ca. 1800
Luce Center Label:
This painting of a Connecticut clockmaker’s wife was meant to hang to the right of her husband’s portrait, preserving their images and values for subsequent generations. Ralph Earl showed her holding a book, possibly a Bible, as a sign of piety and literacy. The drapery in the background was a compositional device that the artist learned when he studied portraiture in England.
Topic:
Portrait female  Search this
Cityscape\Connecticut  Search this
Credit Line:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Orrin Wickersham June
Object number:
1967.136.3
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department:
Painting and Sculpture
On View:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 1B
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk7ce908249-a233-443f-a9eb-8fef565a6aff
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:saam_1967.136.3