The Parmly Sisters

Thomas P. Rossiter, The Parmly Sisters, ca. 1857, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Mary Montagu Walke, 1986.77
Copied Thomas P. Rossiter, The Parmly Sisters, ca. 1857, oil on canvas, 44 1⁄8 x 56 1⁄8 in. (112.0 x 142.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Mary Montagu Walke, 1986.77
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
The Parmly Sisters
Artist
Date
ca. 1857
Location
Dimensions
44 1⁄8 x 56 1⁄8 in. (112.0 x 142.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Mary Montagu Walke
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — musical instrument — piano
  • Architecture Interior — domestic
  • Portrait group — family — siblings
  • Portrait female — unidentified
Object Number
1986.77
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.77

Artwork Description

The Parmly sisters were the daughters of Dr. Eleazar Parmly, a prominent dentist in New York who was known as the “father of modern dentistry.” In this portrait, Louisa, on the left, holds a book of Beethoven’s music, and Julia, on the right, sits at the piano leafing through sheet music. Their sister Mary is in the center. In 1851, Thomas P. Rossiter married Anna Parmly, elder sister of these girls. Anna does not appear in this image because she had died shortly before it was made.