Artwork
The Leland Sisters
The Leland Sisters is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Thomas Sully. It dates from 1830 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work functions as both a family record and a statement of cultural refinement, reflecting contemporary ideals of feminine modesty and domestic harmony.
The painting depicts two young women identified as the Leland sisters, members of an American family prominent in early 19th-century Virginia. Their portrait conveys notions of familial virtue and social standing characteristic of the elite Southern gentry during the antebellum period. The work functions as both a family record and a statement of cultural refinement, reflecting contemporary ideals of feminine modesty and domestic harmony. The sisters' attire and composed poses underscore expected gender roles within the period's social framework.
The National Gallery of Art holds the work, which entered its collection through a 1973 gift from Mrs. Philip Connors of Middleburg, Virginia, who inherited it from her mother, a direct descendant of the sitters.
Technique & Style
The Leland Sisters is an oil painting executed on canvas, a medium and support consistent with Thomas Sully's standard portrait practice. The work measures approximately 41 by 51 centimeters, giving it an intimate, small-scale format suited to a private family commission. Its classification as a painting places it within the tradition of easel portraiture rather than large-scale history painting, and the canvas support would have allowed Sully to work with the fluid, blended brushwork characteristic of his handling of oil paint in commissioned likenesses of the 1830s.
History & Provenance
Thomas Sully created the oil-on-canvas painting The Leland Sisters in 1830. The work remained within the sitter's family for generations, passing by descent to Emily Harrison Thorp Whitfield. Upon her death, it was inherited by her daughter, Mrs. Philip Connors, of Middleburg, Virginia.
The painting entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as a gift in 1973.
The painting is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Its ownership history traces a line of descent within the sitters' family, eventually passing to Emily Harrison Thorp Whitfield. Upon her death, the work was inherited by her daughter, Mrs. Philip Connors of Middleburg, Virginia. In 1973, Mrs. Connors gifted the artwork to the National Gallery of Art, where it remains part of the permanent holdings.
Overview
Thomas Sully’s oil on canvas, dated around 1830, portrays two young sisters standing side by side. Both wear red dresses, their curly brown hair framing neutral faces that meet the viewer’s gaze. The composition is set against a subdued brown backdrop, emphasizing the quiet closeness between the figures.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas Sully was an English-American portrait painter. He was born in England, became a naturalized American citizen in 1809, and lived most of his life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including in the Thomas Sully…
