Emily Smiley Snowden

Charles Peale Polk, Emily Smiley Snowden, 1793, oil on canvas, 35 ⁵⁄₈ x 30 ⁷⁄₈ in. (90.5 x 78.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. Frederick E. Kline, 1977.104

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Artwork Details

Title: Emily Smiley Snowden
Artist: Charles Peale Polk
Date: 1793
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 35 ⁵⁄₈ x 30 ⁷⁄₈ in. (90.5 x 78.4 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. Frederick E. Kline
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on canvas
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Portrait female — Snowden, Emily — waist length
Dress — accessory — fan
Object Number: 1977.104
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1977.104

Artwork Description

No documentation exists regarding Charles Peale Polk’s commission to paint Emily Smiley Snowden. But it is possible to guess at her social and economic position from the imported silk of her dress, her hand-painted fan, embroidered shawl, and Chippendale chair.