Francis Wayland Sherman at the Age of 2 Years 10 Months
1862
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1862
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Francis Wayland Sherman at the Age of 2 Years 10 Months is a 1862 by H.N. Roberts, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows a young boy sitting on a luxurious rocking horse. He's dressed in fancy clothes and looks happy. The boy's family was quite wealthy, which is why he's dressed so nicely and has such a fancy toy. The rocking horse is a special part of this picture. It was a common toy for rich kids back then. The photographer might have used it as a prop to show the boy's wealthy family. You can learn more about this type of photography by looking at the work of other artists at the museum: The Cleveland Museum of Art.
An inscription on the back of this photograph records the sitter’s identity and age. Because he belonged to a prominent family, it was possible to learn through research that he grew up in Ludlow, Vermont, the son of a successful businessman with pharmaceutical and music enterprises that he later managed. The rocking horse, a favorite toy of Victorian nurseries, may have belonged to the wealthy child or have been a prop in the photographer’s studio. This is an especially luxurious example. Dappled gray rocking horses were the most popular in that era, having been favored by Queen Victoria for…
Read the full account in the museum source.
