Artwork
Ann King
Ann King is a watercolor painting by the Romanticist artist Richard Morrell Staigg. It dates from 1849 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 2006.235.187
- Credit line
- Fletcher Fund, 2006
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting titled Ann King, created by Richard Morrell Staigg in 1849, is a watercolor on ivory portrait housed in The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work depicts a single female sitter, characteristic of 19th‑century portraiture; the sources do not specify any identifiable iconographic symbols or narrative allegory associated with the figure. Consequently, the painting's meaning is understood primarily through its function as a conventional portrait of a woman from the period, reflecting contemporary artistic conventions rather than explicit symbolic content.
Technique & Style
The medium allows for delicate modeling of the sitter's features, characteristic of the formal portrait style of the period.
Created in 1849, Ann King is a portrait executed in watercolor on ivory. The work measures 11.3 cm in height and 9 cm in width. As a miniature portrait, the piece relies on the translucent qualities of watercolor applied to the smooth, polished surface of ivory, a traditional support for this genre during the mid-nineteenth century.
The medium allows for delicate modeling of the sitter's features, characteristic of the formal portrait style of the period.
History & Provenance
Ann King is a watercolor-on-ivory portrait produced by Richard Morrell Staigg in 1849. The work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified within the American Wing as a portrait of a woman. The piece measures 11.3 cm in height by 9 cm in width, consistent with the small-scale format typical of ivory miniatures from the period. No further details about commission, prior ownership, or acquisition circumstances are documented in the available sources.
Overview
Richard Morrell Staigg, an English-born artist active in 19th-century Boston, painted this miniature portrait of Ann King in 1849. Executed with watercolor on ivory, the small-scale work captures a woman in a dark dress with a simple white collar, her gaze directed forward. This piece exemplifies the enduring popularity of portraiture in America during the period, serving a function similar to modern photographs.
Context
Created in 1849, Ann King reflects the prominent role portraiture held in American art during the 19th century. Artists like Staigg, who was originally from Leeds, England, found a strong demand for capturing individual likenesses. These portable, personal images served as important records of identity and connection within a society that valued both artistic skill and personal remembrance.
Artist & collection
Artist
Richard Morrell Staigg (7 September 1817 Leeds, England - 11 October 1881 Newport, Rhode Island) or R.M. Staigg was a portrait painter in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 19th century.
