Woman in Black Dress

M. W. Hopkins, Woman in Black Dress, ca. 1835-1840, oil on wood panel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.120
Copied M. W. Hopkins, Woman in Black Dress, ca. 1835-1840, oil on wood panel, 26 x 21 1⁄2 in. (66.1 x 54.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.120
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Artwork Details

Title
Woman in Black Dress
Artist
Attributed to M. W. Hopkins
Date
ca. 1835-1840
Location
Dimensions
26 x 21 1⁄2 in. (66.1 x 54.6 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on wood panel
Classifications
Keywords
  • Portrait female — unidentified — waist length
Object Number
1986.65.120
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.120

Artwork Description

The identity of this sitter is unknown. On the eve of marriage, young women often had their portraits made, and this portrait likely marked that event. The woman wears a fine dress ornamented with an elaborate lace collar, and a gold and jade chain with a miniature painting hangs around her neck (Face to Face: M.W. Hopkins and Noah North, Museum of Our National Heritage, 1988). Her sober expression and elaborate hairstyle, worn “up” as a matron would do, help to convey a sense of gravity at a turning point in her life.