Portrait of the Downer Children

Peter Frederick Rothermel, Portrait of the Downer Children, 1850, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Josephine Regar Schlagel, 2000.8
Copied Peter Frederick Rothermel, Portrait of the Downer Children, 1850, oil on canvas, 38 1⁄8 x 48 1⁄8 in. (96.9 x 122.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Josephine Regar Schlagel, 2000.8
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Portrait of the Downer Children
Artist
Date
1850
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
38 1⁄8 x 48 1⁄8 in. (96.9 x 122.2 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Josephine Regar Schlagel
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — rabbit
  • Portrait group — family — siblings
Object Number
2000.8
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2000.8

Artwork Description

Peter Frederick Rothermel created an imaginary landscape of lush vegetation and clouds behind the Downer children, who pose as stiffly as statues. A medieval castle looms in the distance behind Dora, while Amy leans against a stone pedestal, holding her baby brother, Adolph. The white rabbit, a gentle creature of nature, symbolizes the children’s own natural innocence. Captain George Downer and his wife commissioned Rothermel to paint this portrait when he was the director of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, in Philadelphia.