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| Accession # | 23.51 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Charles Willson Peale |
| Title | Mrs. David Forman and Child |
| Date | ca. 1785 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 51 × 39 3/8 in. (129.5 × 100 cm) frame: 56 × 44 1/2 × 2 1/2 in. (142.2 × 113 × 6.4 cm) |
| Signed | Unsigned |
| Credit Line | Carll H. de Silver and Museum Collection Fund |
| Location | American Identities: Art Making / Centennial Era |
Curatorial Remarks: The wife of a wealthy Continental Army officer and the mother of eleven children, Mrs. David Forman was portrayed by Charles Willson Peale in an interior that was meant to suggest the elegance and bounty of her domestic life. She sits on a chair with scrolling acanthus leaves, alluding to ancient Greek and Roman decoration. The presence of the landscape painting behind her signaled the cultured life of the Forman household, and the gently idealized curves of its composition offered a parallel to the sitter’s natural feminine beauty and grace.
