Artwork
Probably Annis Cook Holding an Apple
Probably Annis Cook Holding an Apple is an oil painting. It dates from 1830 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. The work portrays an older woman seated before a neutral background, her white bonnet trimmed with lace framing a face marked by age.
About this work
Technique & Style
The artist, identified as an American practitioner of the 19th century, utilized oil paint as the primary medium for this portrait genre piece.
Created in 1830, the work is an oil painting executed on a wood panel support. The artist, identified as an American practitioner of the 19th century, utilized oil paint as the primary medium for this portrait genre piece. The physical dimensions of the panel measure 81.9 cm in height and 59.5 cm in width.
As a portrait from this period, the handling involves the application of oil pigments directly onto the rigid wooden surface, a common technique for American folk and early academic portraiture of the era.
History & Provenance
Probably Annis Cook Holding an Apple was created in 1830 by an unidentified American 19th-century artist, executed in oil on a wood panel. The work is recorded as originating in Connecticut, though no earlier ownership is documented before the mid-twentieth century.
In 1948, the painting was purchased by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. The Garbisches subsequently gave the work to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1955, where it has remained in the collection since.
The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., where it entered the collection in 1955 as a gift from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch.
Its inventory/accession is recorded under the National Gallery of Art’s holdings with dimensions 81.9 × 59.5 cm.
The work has not been listed in major exhibition-related sources reviewed here.
Context
Probably Annis Cook Holding an Apple is an 1830 oil on wood portrait held in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., acquired through the 1955 gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. The work is attributed to an American 19th-century artist and has been discussed in scholarship concerning early American portraiture and genre painting. Its classification as a portrait within the broader context of 19th-century American art highlights its significance within the nation's emerging artistic identity.
The painting's provenance and material characteristics align with documented practices of the period, reinforcing its role in scholarly analyses of early American portraiture. Its presence in the National Gallery of Art underscores its importance in the institutional narrative of American art history.
Overview
The work portrays an older woman seated before a neutral background, her white bonnet trimmed with lace framing a face marked by age. She wears a black dress beneath a white shawl, a string of pearls resting at her throat, and holds a single apple in her right hand while her left hand rests gently in front of her.
Subject & Meaning
The composition focuses on a domestic figure, the apple serving as a subtle emblem of abundance or mortality, common in 19th‑century portraiture. The modest attire and restrained pose suggest a portrait of a matronly individual, perhaps intended to convey virtue, piety, or the quiet dignity of everyday life.
Artist & collection
Portrait of an Old Lady
Woman in Red Arrowback Chair
Portrait of Anna Kurpiewska née Olszakiewicz
Portrait of a Woman with a Lace Cap
Portrait of Lois Belding Ketcham
Sophia Mead
Portrait of a Woman
Sally Avery Olds
Sally Avery Olds; Nathaniel Olds
Mrs. Patrick Henry (Dorothea Dandridge)
Sally Avery Olds- Probably Sarah Cook Arnold Knitting