Mary Livingston Colin Crounse

Christoffel Wüst, Mary Livingston Colin Crounse, ca. 1859, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Henry L. Milmore, 1950.4.2
Copied Christoffel Wüst, Mary Livingston Colin Crounse, ca. 1859, watercolor on ivory, sight 2 142 38 in. (5.76.0 cm) oval, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Henry L. Milmore, 1950.4.2
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Mary Livingston Colin Crounse
Date
ca. 1859
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sight 2 142 38 in. (5.76.0 cm) oval
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Henry L. Milmore
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Keywords
  • Portrait female — Crounse, Mary Livingston Colin — bust
Object Number
1950.4.2

Artwork Description

The engraving on the back of this miniature reads: “Lorenzo L. Crounse and Mary Livingston Colin December 27, 1859,” indicating that this miniature was created to commemorate either an engagement or wedding. In 1861, Mary was told that her husband’s leg was going to be amputated due to a wound he suffered in the Civil War. Knowing that her husband would not want his leg cut off, Mary rushed to the hospital to stop the doctors. Lorenzo’s injury made him unable to continue serving in the military, and spurred him to enter politics. A popular Republican, he was described as being “dignified, serious, but possessed an unruffled tranquility” (Washington County Historical Association). He served as a justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court, U.S. representative from Nebraska, the governor of Nebraska, and was a member of the Nebraska State Senate. Mary died in 1882, leaving Lorenzo a widower until his own passing in 1909. The frame that surrounds the portrait of Mary is made out of a watch and the family’s gold wedding rings.