Artwork
Sally Sanford Perit
Sally Sanford Perit is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Reuben Moulthrop. It dates from 1790 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
In 1790 Reuben Moulthrop signed the back of this canvas with the Latin 'Pinxit' and his own misspelled name. His New Haven sitter, Sally Sanford Perit, wears a towering coiffure and lace cap drawn from English fashion plates. One of two paired portraits of the Perits, it came to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with the Garbisch collection, a key record of Connecticut portraiture.
Overview
Reuben Moulthrop painted this oil portrait of Sally Sanford Perit in 1790, one of his earliest recorded works. It serves as a companion to his depiction of her husband, Job Perit, with both canvases now part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection. This pair of portraits is considered foundational to understanding the Connecticut school of American portraiture.
Subject & Meaning
Mrs. Perit is depicted with a prominent coiffure and an elaborate lace headdress, reflecting contemporary English fashion plates. Moulthrop, who lacked formal academic training, likely drew inspiration from published books and prints to achieve such stylistic details. This approach allowed him to absorb European trends and integrate them into his regional American practice.
Technique & Style
Moulthrop's artistic method involved studying British portraiture through available prints and books, rather than formal instruction.
Moulthrop's artistic method involved studying British portraiture through available prints and books, rather than formal instruction. His style also shows the impact of fellow Connecticut painters like John Durand and Ralph Earl. This influence is evident in the precise outlining and the straightforward, unembellished presentation of the sitter, characteristic of regional American portraiture of the period.
History & Provenance
Dated 1790, the reverse of the canvas bears inscriptions detailing the sitter's name and age, the year, and the artist's signature, "Ruben Molthrop, Pinxit," with a characteristic misspelling. This portrait, along with its companion piece of Job Perit, entered The Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing as a gift from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, cataloged under object number 65.254.2.
Legacy
While Reuben Moulthrop gained regional recognition for his elaborate waxworks tableaux, which were exhibited from New York City to the West Indies, his painted portraits hold particular art historical significance. The Perit paintings, in particular, remain key examples for understanding the development and characteristics of the Connecticut school of American portraiture in the late 18th century.
Artist & collection
Artist
Reuben Moulthrop (1763–1814) was an early American artist based in East Haven, Connecticut.
