Mrs. Ebenezer Williams

Unidentified, Mrs. Ebenezer Williams, ca. 1825, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1962.7.2
Copied Unidentified, Mrs. Ebenezer Williams, ca. 1825, watercolor on ivory, sight 2 122 in. (6.25.1 cm) oval, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1962.7.2
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Mrs. Ebenezer Williams
Artist
Unidentified
Date
ca. 1825
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sight 2 122 in. (6.25.1 cm) oval
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Keywords
  • Portrait female — Williams, Ebenezer, Mrs. — bust
Object Number
1962.7.2

Artwork Description

Ebenezer Williams was born in New London, Connecticut, in 1769, and married Martha Porter in 1794. A piece of paper enclosed in the back of Mr. Williams’s miniature reads: “This locket of hair was taken from my father’s head, January 17, 1825.” With their stern expressions and sober clothing, Mr. and Mrs. Williams embody nineteenth-century propriety. Mr. Williams appears less stern than he might, however, with the glasses perched on top of his head.