Portrait of a Woman with a Shawl

Erastus Salisbury Field, Portrait of a Woman with a Shawl, ca. 1825-1850, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.109
Copied Erastus Salisbury Field, Portrait of a Woman with a Shawl, ca. 1825-1850, oil on canvas, 35 1426 in. (89.566.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.109
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Artwork Details

Title
Portrait of a Woman with a Shawl
Date
ca. 1825-1850
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
35 1426 in. (89.566.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Portrait female — unidentified — waist length
Object Number
1986.65.109

Artwork Description

Erastus Salisbury Field painted this portrait while working as a traveling portrait painter, fulfilling commissions around the Connecticut River valley. Portrait of a Woman with a Shawl is typical of Field’s plain-style portraits, with simplified forms and few shadows. Such portraits contrast with his later dreamscapes and historical and biblical scenes, which are often rich in fantastic and humorous details.