Artwork
The Starbird Children
The Starbird Children is a watercolor painting by the American Folk Art artist Mrs. Moses B. Russell. It dates from 1841 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Penciled on the back of this ivory miniature are the names and ages of three Charlestown siblings: Henry, Caroline, and Louis Starbird, ten, eight, and five. Clarissa Peters Russell, known as Mrs. Moses B. Russell, painted them in 1841, capturing the children of Massachusetts tailor Nathaniel W. Starbird with the flat perspective and careful textile detail of her New England miniatures.
Overview
Clarissa Peters Russell, a notable female miniaturist in Boston during the antebellum period, painted "The Starbird Children" in 1841.
Clarissa Peters Russell, a notable female miniaturist in Boston during the antebellum period, painted "The Starbird Children" in 1841. This watercolor on ivory depicts Henry, Caroline, and Louis Starbird, aged ten, eight, and five, respectively. The work exemplifies Russell's specialized skill in child portraiture and is one of the few securely attributed pieces by her in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, offering insight into her precise artistic practice and the era's social customs.
Subject & Meaning
The miniature portrays the three children of Nathaniel W. Starbird, a tailor from Massachusetts. Ten-year-old Henry, eight-year-old Caroline, and five-year-old Louis are identified by an inscription on the reverse. Louis, the youngest, appears in a dress, a common garment for young boys of the period before they were "breeched." Such portraits served to commemorate family members, capturing their likenesses for posterity within a private domestic sphere.
Technique & Style
Russell executed this portrait using watercolor on ivory, a challenging medium that demands meticulous detail and a steady hand due to its small scale, measuring just over five by four inches. Her characteristic style is evident in the flat perspective and careful rendering of textile patterns, which were common features of New England portrait miniatures. This precision allowed her to capture individual features and clothing details within the confined space.
History & Provenance
Commissioned by the children's father, Nathaniel W. Starbird, this miniature remained in private collections for over a century and a half. In 2006, collector Gloria Manney generously gifted the artwork to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its acquisition enriched the American Wing's collection of folk-art portraits and helped solidify Russell's standing as a significant artist, particularly recognized for her sensitive depictions of children.
Context
Clarissa Peters Russell established herself as a professional artist in Boston by 1835, a time when few women achieved such prominence. She not only maintained her own painting practice but also offered lessons in miniature art. After marrying painter Moses B. Russell in 1839, the couple shared a studio, leading to such stylistic similarities that distinguishing their individual works can be challenging for art historians.
Artist & collection
