Member of the Yates Family

Unidentified, Member of the Yates Family, ca. 1780, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1956.1.1
Copied Unidentified, Member of the Yates Family, ca. 1780, watercolor on ivory, sight 1 5⁄8 x 1 3⁄8 in. (4.1 x 3.5 cm) oval, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1956.1.1
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Member of the Yates Family
Artist
Unidentified
Date
ca. 1780
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sight 1 5⁄8 x 1 3⁄8 in. (4.1 x 3.5 cm) oval
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait male — Yates — bust
Object Number
1956.1.1
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1956.1.1

Artwork Description

Mr. Yates’s hair, with its two curls above each ear, reflects the style of the late eighteenth century when men made the transition from wigs to their own, often powdered, hair. The sitter’s elongated nose, thin lips, sad eyes, and weak jawline give him a feeble appearance, and he may have chosen to wear a vibrantly colored coat in his portrait to compensate for these timid features.