Portrait of a Lady
Artist
Unknown
CultureAmerican
DateEarly 19th century
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 29 1/4 x 23 1/2 in. (74.3 x 59.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.2175
On View
Not on viewLabel TextErastus Salisbury Field American, 1805–1900 Julia Tuttle Bangs, ca. 1830 Oil on canvas Portrait of a Lady, ca. 1830s American Oil on canvas Layers of fabric, lace, and ribbon transform the sober black robes of these two women into dramatic fashion statements. Accentuated by jewelry and carefully arranged curls, both display taste and affluence. For many rural artists, precisely rendering costume patterns and folds was more important than accurately representing the human body beneath these clothes. Though the sitters’ droopy shoulders may look clumsy to us, these paintings no doubt hung in places of prominence in their original owners’ homes. Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch 78.633.1 Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.2175 ProvenanceGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., to Chrysler Museum of Art, 1971.Exhibition History"Three Hundred Years of American Art in the Chrysler Museum," Chrysler Museum at Norfolk, Va., March 1 - July 4, 1976. "Democratic Designs: American Folk Paintings from the Chrysler Museum," Willoughby-Baylor House, Norfolk, VA, August 16, 2014 - April 5, 2015.
