Portrait of a Connecticut Clockmaker’s Wife

Ralph Earl, Portrait of a Connecticut Clockmaker's Wife, ca. 1800, oil on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Orrin Wickersham June, 1967.136.3
Copied Ralph Earl, Portrait of a Connecticut Clockmaker's Wife, ca. 1800, oil on wood, 10 1⁄4 x 7 7⁄8 in. (26.0 x 20.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Orrin Wickersham June, 1967.136.3
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Portrait of a Connecticut Clockmaker’s Wife
Artist
Attributed to Ralph Earl
Date
ca. 1800
Location
Dimensions
10 1⁄4 x 7 7⁄8 in. (26.0 x 20.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Orrin Wickersham June
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on wood
Classifications
Subjects
  • Cityscape — Connecticut
  • Portrait female — unidentified
Object Number
1967.136.3
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1967.136.3

Artwork Description

This painting of a Connecticut clockmaker’s wife was meant to hang to the right of her husband’s portrait, preserving their images and values for subsequent generations. Ralph Earl showed her holding a book, possibly a Bible, as a sign of piety and literacy. The drapery in the background was a compositional device that the artist learned when he studied portraiture in England.