Artwork
Eleanor Wyer Foster (Mrs. Isaac Foster)
Eleanor Wyer Foster (Mrs. Isaac Foster) is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Joseph Badger. It dates from 1755 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right: 1755; on reverse of the original canvas: Eleanor Foster; / Onely Daughter of William Wyer Esqr. / And Eleanor His Wife Was Born July Ye 14th, 1714.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The piece functions as a direct representation of the individual, capturing her likeness during the mid-18th century.
The work is a portrait depicting Eleanor Wyer Foster, also identified as Mrs. Isaac Foster. Created by Joseph Badger in 1755, the painting presents the sitter as the primary subject without additional narrative elements or symbolic attributes described in the available records. The piece functions as a direct representation of the individual, capturing her likeness during the mid-18th century.
No specific iconography, allegorical symbols, or deeper metaphorical meanings are documented in the provided sources beyond the identification of the sitter herself.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1755, this portrait utilizes oil paint applied directly onto bed ticking, an unconventional support material consisting of sturdy woven fabric typically used for mattresses. The work measures 91.7 cm in height and 71.2 cm in width. As a formal likeness, the painting functions within the genre of portraiture, capturing the sitter Eleanor Wyer Foster.
The selection of bed ticking as a ground suggests specific material constraints or regional practices common to mid-eighteenth-century American painting, distinguishing it from more traditional canvas or panel supports. The handling of the oil medium on this textured weave defines the surface character of the piece.
History & Provenance
Joseph Badger painted Eleanor Wyer Foster (Mrs. Isaac Foster) in 1755 using oil on bed ticking. The portrait was owned by Mrs. David Buffum of Walpole, New Hampshire, by 1873, passing to her son Dr. Thomas Bellows Buffum by 1918. Annie Buffum Williams of Northampton, Massachusetts, held the painting in 1943, as documented by her letter to the Frick Art Reference Library dated 28 November 1943.
Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch purchased it in Boston before 16 May 1949, when conservators Sheldon and Caroline Keck received the work for treatment. The Garbisches gave the portrait to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1957, where it remains. No exhibition history beyond this provenance chain is recorded in the available sources.
Overview
Joseph Badger’s 1755 oil portrait captures Eleanor Wyer Foster, identified in contemporary records as Mrs. Isaac Foster. Executed on a bed‑ticking canvas, the work presents the sitter in a restrained pose, her gaze directed toward the viewer. The composition is anchored by a muted, earth‑toned backdrop that serves to emphasize the figure’s facial features and attire.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Joseph Badger was born on March 14, 1707/8, in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the son of Stephen Badger, a tailor, and Mercy Kettell.
