Mrs. William Mather Smith (Helen Livingston)

Unidentified, Mrs. William Mather Smith (Helen Livingston), 1821, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1944.7.3
Copied Unidentified, Mrs. William Mather Smith (Helen Livingston), 1821, watercolor on ivory, 3 x 2 3⁄8 in. (7.6 x 6.0 cm) rectangle, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1944.7.3
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Mrs. William Mather Smith (Helen Livingston)
Artist
Unidentified
Date
1821
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
3 x 2 3⁄8 in. (7.6 x 6.0 cm) rectangle
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — Livington, Helen — bust
  • Portrait female — Smith, William Mather, Mrs. — bust
Object Number
1944.7.3
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1944.7.3

Artwork Description

Helen Livingston was born in 1789 and at the age of nineteen married William Mather Smith, with whom she had three sons. On August 17, 1807, Helen was a passenger on the maiden voyage of the Clermont, the first American steamboat to travel the Hudson River. This painting shows the elegant lady at thirty-two, wearing an extravagant bonnet, ruffle, and shawl. The miniature of William Mather Smith is also in this collection.