The Elder’s Daughter

John Rogers, The Elder's Daughter, patented 1877, painted plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1967.131
Copied John Rogers, The Elder's Daughter, patented 1877, painted plaster, 2119 1210 58 in. (53.249.527.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1967.131
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Artwork Details

Title
The Elder’s Daughter
Artist
Date
patented 1877
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2119 1210 58 in. (53.249.527.1 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
painted plaster
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group
  • Recreation — courting
  • History — United States — Colonization
  • Occupation — religion — elder
  • Object — fruit — apple
  • Equestrian
Object Number
1967.131

Artwork Description

John Rogers modeled many groups that included his favorite animal, the horse. To depict the horse accurately, he measured many different breeds, took casts from anatomical specimens, and studied photographs of horses in motion. In Elder’s Daughter, the horse carries a Puritan and his daughter home from church. The elder glares at the young man, who has committed sacrilege by offering his daughter an apple on the Sabbath.