Portrait of a Lady

James Sanford Ellsworth, Portrait of a Lady, ca. 1850, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.14
James Sanford Ellsworth, Portrait of a Lady, ca. 1850, watercolor on paper, sight 3 1⁄4 x 2 3⁄4 in. (8.2 x 7.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.14
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Artwork Details

Title
Portrait of a Lady
Artist
Date
ca. 1850
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sight 3 1⁄4 x 2 3⁄4 in. (8.2 x 7.0 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — unidentified — waist length
Object Number
1999.27.14
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1999.27.14

Artwork Description

These miniatures display James Sanford Ellsworth’s unique approach to painting his sitters. They are shown in profile, seated in a Victorian armchair with their hands crossed. The chair appears to dissolve into a swirling arabesque, with a “clover-leaf” halo surrounding the sitter’s head and cloudlike forms in the background.

Works by this artist (122 items)

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Edward Mitchell Bannister, Driving Home the Cows, 1881, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of G. William Miller, 1983.95.58
Driving Home the Cows
Artist
Date1881
oil on canvas
On view
Edward Mitchell Bannister, Train, ca. 1875-1880, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Frederick and Joan Slatsky, 1983.95.107
Train
Artist
Dateca. 1875-1880
oil on canvas
On view
Edward Mitchell Bannister, Untitled (landscape with rocks, man and sailboats), 1895, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of H. Alan and Melvin Frank, 1983.95.129
Untitled (landscape with rocks, man and sailboats)
Artist
Date1895
oil on canvas
On view
Edward Mitchell Bannister, Woman Walking down Path, 1882, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Joseph Sinclair, 1983.95.156
Woman Walking down Path
Artist
Date1882
oil on canvas
On view

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Edward Mitchell Bannister, Untitled (Landscape with Two Women Reclining on Rocks), oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of H. Alan and Melvin Frank, 1983.95.132
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