Artwork
Mrs. Samuel Vaughan
Mrs. Samuel Vaughan is a watercolor painting by the American Folk Art artist Anna Claypoole Peale. It dates from 1838 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Samuel Vaughan (1838) in watercolor on ivory, a support and medium combination characteristic of American miniature portraiture in the early nineteenth century.
Anna Claypoole Peale executed Mrs. Samuel Vaughan (1838) in watercolor on ivory, a support and medium combination characteristic of American miniature portraiture in the early nineteenth century. The small scale of the work, it measures only 5.9 by 4.6 centimeters, dictated a precise, controlled handling suited to the ivory surface, which allowed for fine detail and a luminous, smooth finish. As a portrait miniature, the piece exemplifies the genre's conventions of intimate likeness and meticulous craftsmanship.
The watercolor medium, applied to the non-absorbent ivory, would have produced the delicate tonal gradations and refined surface quality typical of Peale's practice in this format.
History & Provenance
Commissioned and executed in 1838, this watercolor on ivory portrait depicts Mrs. Samuel Vaughan. The work was created by the American artist Anna Claypoole Peale, who specialized in miniature paintings during this period. Measuring approximately 5.9 by 4.6 cm, the piece entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently housed within the American Wing.
While specific details regarding the original commissioning process or intermediate ownership transfers between the sitter and the museum are not explicitly detailed in the available records, the work's inception is firmly established as 1838. The portrait remains a significant example of Peale's later career output, preserved as part of the museum's permanent holdings dedicated to American art.
Mrs. Samuel Vaughan is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is listed under the classification "The American Wing" and is part of the museum's portrait collection. The work, a watercolor on ivory painted in 1838 by Anna Claypoole Peale, measures 5.9 by 4.6 cm. Its accession number is not specified in the available documentation, and no exhibition record is cited in the sources. The painting is described as a portrait of a woman and is catalogued within the museum's internal records.
Overview
Anna Claypoole Peale's 1838 watercolor on ivory depicts Mrs. Samuel Vaughan. This small-scale portrait exemplifies American folk art of the period. The subject is rendered with a soft light illuminating her face, her lips slightly parted as if on the verge of speech.
Her dark attire recedes into a muted background, drawing focus to her features and the intimate scale of the work.
Context
Anna Claypoole Peale (born 1791) was a notable artist recognized for her miniature portraits and still lifes. Her artistic career was significant for women in the arts; in 1811, she and her sister, Sarah Miriam Peale, achieved a pioneering distinction. They were among the first women to be elected as academicians to the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, marking an important moment for female artists.
Artist & collection
Artist
Anna Claypoole Peale (March 6, 1791 – December 25, 1878) was an American painter who specialized in portrait miniatures on ivory and still lifes.
