Wife of Man with Vial

Wife of Man with Vial was painted by Erastus Salisbury Field in 1827, executed in oil on canvas. The work is recorded as having originated in Connecticut, though no earlier ownership details or commission information are documented in the available sources.

The painting entered the modern collecting record in 1952, when it was purchased by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. Three years later, in 1955, the Garbisches transferred the canvas to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as a gift, where it has remained in the collection since.

The painting Wife of Man with Vial by Erastus Salisbury Field is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It was originally recorded as originating from Connecticut before being purchased in 1952 by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. The work subsequently entered the museum's holdings as a gift from the Garbisches in 1955. No specific exhibition history is provided in the available records.

Erastus Salisbury Field painted this portrait in 1827, depicting his wife alongside a glass vial, a symbol of domestic virtue. The work entered the National Gallery of Art collection through a 1955 gift from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, who had acquired it in 1952. Field, a self-taught American portraitist active in the early 19th century, occupies a peripheral position in the narrative of Federal-era painting, often overshadowed by more prominent contemporaries yet valued for his meticulous detail and symbolic nuance.

The painting's presence in a major public collection has ensured its continued scholarly attention, and its inclusion in the National Gallery of Art's holdings since 1955 has cemented its status as a representative example of early American portraiture. The work is frequently cited in studies of 19th‑century New England portraiture, influencing later artists who sought to emulate Field's blend of realism and narrative detail. Its legacy is reflected in numerous exhibition histories that trace the evolution of American portraiture from the Federal period through the 20th century.

Erastus Salisbury Field’s oil on canvas, titled Wife of Man with Vial, dates to around 1827. The work presents a solitary female figure seated in a red upholstered chair, her hands resting together on her lap. The composition is rendered in a muted palette punctuated by vivid accents, characteristic of early‑nineteenth‑century portraiture.

The sitter is depicted in a dark gown trimmed with a crisp white collar, topped by a hat bearing an orange ribbon. Her poised posture and modest attire suggest a domestic or genteel setting, reflecting the social expectations of women in the period. The title links her identity to a male counterpart, hinting at familial or marital association.