Mrs. Nathaniel Cunningham
Artist: John Smibert (American, 1688-1751)
Date: 1730
Dimensions:
H: 49 7/8 in. (126.8 cm); W: 40 1/4 in. (120 cm)
Medium: Oil on canvas.
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott
Object number: 1948.19
Label Text:John Smibert worked in colonial Boston, but was trained in London, giving him the knowledge and skill to portray his subject in keeping with English styles. Wife of Captain Nathaniel Cunningham, a Boston merchant, Ann Boucher Cunningham’s pose, hairstyle, and dress reflect the style of portraits of English noblewomen. Little lapdogs were another indication of high social status. Here Smibert includes such elements—though probably foreign to the everyday life of Mrs. Cunningham in the American colonies—to emphasize her standing in British society.
On view
In Collection(s)