Matilda Davis Williams

Christian Gullager, Matilda Davis Williams, ca. 1791-1792, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1977.101.2
Copied Christian Gullager, Matilda Davis Williams, ca. 1791-1792, oil on canvas, 29 5824 34 in. (75.363.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1977.101.2
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Artwork Details

Title
Matilda Davis Williams
Date
ca. 1791-1792
Dimensions
29 5824 34 in. (75.363.0 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Dress — accessory — jewelry
  • Portrait female — Williams, Matilda Davis — waist length
Object Number
1977.101.2

Artwork Description

Matilda Davis was the daughter of Caleb Davis, an important Boston merchant and shipowner and Speaker in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She married Jeremiah Williams in 1787, just three years before she died at the age of twenty-two, and in this image she wears a miniature portrait of her husband. Christian Gullager created this portrait posthumously, probably from an existing painting of the young woman. He played with different textures in the detailed image, from the delicate lace of the sitter's bodice to her smooth, pale skin and shiny satin bow. Matilda appears ill at ease, as though she felt self-conscious in the elaborate gown and headdress she wore for the occasion.