Artwork
Little Girl with Doll
Little Girl with Doll is an oil painting. It dates from 1810 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. The work is an oil painting executed on a wooden panel.
About this work
The painting shows a young girl with short red hair wearing a red dress and holding a doll. The girl's dress has white lace trim on the sleeves, and she wears a red necklace.
The girl's expression is calm, and she looks straight ahead. The doll she holds is dressed in blue.
If you like this painting, you might also want to look up the artist American 19th Century.
Technique & Style
Created in 1810, this portrait is executed in oil on a wood support. The work measures 51.7 cm in height and 42.9 cm in width. Stylistically, the piece is classified as a genre portrait attributed to an American artist of the 19th century.
The composition focuses on a young girl holding a doll, reflecting the regional artistic traditions of New England where the painting originated.
History & Provenance
It entered the museum’s holdings in 1953 as a gift from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, who had acquired the work in 1948.
Little Girl with Doll is recorded as having originated in New England. The painting entered the collection of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch through a purchase in 1948. Five years later, in 1953, the Garbisches gave the work to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains held.
The painting Little Girl with Doll is held in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It entered the museum’s holdings in 1953 as a gift from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, who had acquired the work in 1948.
The painting has been accessioned under inventory control at the National Gallery of Art but does not appear to have been featured in major traveling exhibitions or loan shows documented in the available sources.
Context
The painting is recognized as a portrait from the early 1810s, reflecting the portraiture trends of American artists in the early nineteenth century. Its provenance traces to New England before its acquisition in 1948 by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, who later gifted it to the National Gallery of Art in 1953. The work is part of the National Gallery of Art's collection in Washington, D.C., where it remains on display.
Scholarly attention to this piece highlights its significance within the broader context of early American portraiture and the development of genre painting in the United States.
Overview
The work is an oil painting executed on a wooden panel. It portrays a young girl with short, reddish hair, dressed in a red garment trimmed with white lace at the sleeves, and wearing a red necklace. She holds a small doll dressed in blue, and gazes directly ahead with a composed expression.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on the intimate moment of a child interacting with a toy, suggesting themes of childhood innocence and personal attachment. The calm demeanor of the girl and the simple, domestic setting invite contemplation of everyday life and the private world of a young individual.
Artist & collection
