Laura Brown

Anne Whitney, Laura Brown, 1859, marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Given in memory of Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay by their children, 1968.24
Anne Whitney, Laura Brown, 1859, marble, 12 5⁄8 x 11 x 6 in. (32.0 x 27.9 x 15.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Given in memory of Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay by their children, 1968.24
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Artwork Details

Title
Laura Brown
Artist
Date
1859
Location
Dimensions
12 5⁄8 x 11 x 6 in. (32.0 x 27.9 x 15.3 cm)
Credit Line
Given in memory of Charles Downing Lay and Laura Gill Lay by their children
Mediums
Mediums Description
marble
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — Brown, Laura — bust
  • Figure female — child — bust
Object Number
1968.24
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.24

Artwork Description

Anne Whitney opened a girls’ school in Salem, Massachusetts, when she was only twenty-five. Over the next two years, she made friends with a local shipowner, William Augustus Brown. Several years later, Brown commissioned Whitney to create a bust of his youngest daughter. Laura, or “Bee-Bee” as Whitney called her, was only two or three years old at the time of this portrait, and the artist captured her youthful innocence in the figure’s half-smile and plump features. (Tufts, American Women Artists, 1987)

Works by this artist (1036 items)

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William H. Johnson, For India and China, ca. 1944-1945, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.662
For India and China
Artist
Dateca. 1944-1945
oil on paperboard
On view
William H. Johnson, Sun Setting, Denmark, ca. 1930, oil on burlap, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.720
Sun Setting, Denmark
Artist
Dateca. 1930
oil on burlap
On view
William H. Johnson, Young Pastry Cook, ca. 1928-1930, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.693
Young Pastry Cook
Artist
Dateca. 1928-1930
oil on canvas
On view
William H. Johnson, Breakdown with Flat Tire, ca. 1940-1941, oil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.587
Breakdown with Flat Tire
Artist
Dateca. 1940-1941
oil on plywood
On view

More Artworks from the Collection

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William H. Johnson, Children Playing at Dockside, ca. 1939-1942, tempera and pen and ink with pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.146
Children Playing at Dockside
Artist
Dateca. 1939-1942
tempera and pen and ink with pencil on paper
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Family Reunion, ca. 1940-1941, tempera, pen and ink, and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1061R-V
Family Reunion
Artist
Dateca. 1940-1941
tempera, pen and ink, and pencil on paper
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Mining Scene, ca. 1942-1944, tempera, pen and ink, and pencil on paper mounted on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.140
Mining Scene
Artist
Dateca. 1942-1944
tempera, pen and ink, and pencil on paper mounted on paperboard
Not on view
Unidentified (American), William H. Johnson, Swearing in George Washington, ca. 1942-1943, tempera and pen and ink with pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.155R-V
Swearing in George Washington
Artist
William H. Johnson
Unidentified (American)
Dateca. 1942-1943
tempera and pen and ink with pencil on paper
Not on view