Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Catalog Data

Artist:
Jeremiah Theus, born Chur, Switzerland 1716-died Charleston, SC 1774  Search this
Sitter:
Polly Ouldfield  Search this
Medium:
oil on canvas
Dimensions:
30 1/8 x 25 1/8 in. (76.5 x 63.8 cm)
Type:
Painting
Date:
ca. 1761
Luce Center Label:
Polly Ouldfield was born into a life of privilege. Her father was a member of the Commons House of Assembly in London, and records indicate that he owned land in Georgetown in 1752. Polly's husband was a landowner from Charleston, South Carolina, who served as Commissary of Militia in the Georgetown District during the Revolutionary War. (Middleton, Jeremiah Theüs: Colonial Artist of Charles Town, 1953) In this portrait the landscape beyond the window suggests the Ouldfields' significant landholdings, and Polly's luminous, lace-trimmed silk dress embellished with decorative pearls also conveys the richness of planter society. Jeremiah Theüs often showed his subjects lit from above, as in this portrait.
Topic:
Portrait female\child  Search this
Credit Line:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of International Business Machines Corporation
Object number:
1969.130
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, 1A
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/vk7cd2eaea0-0c19-4567-b160-520db31324e0
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:saam_1969.130