Images(2)

Portrait of Susan Emilia Aldrich

Dateca. 1826

Attributed to Prior-Hamblen School

Sitter Susan Emilia Aldrich (1824 - 1878)

OriginAmerica, Rhode Island, Smithfield

MediumPaint on paper

Credit LineGift of Marian Kelso

Object number2020.100.1,A&B

DescriptionPortrait of a toddler wearing a pink dress with green, purple, and yellow markings under a white apron. In her hands she holds a woven rattle. The background is a dark grey.
Label TextThe portrait of Susan and a sampler, which was created when she was a young toddler, descended through the family until they were donated to the museum.
ProvenanceThe sampler descended from the maker Susan Emilia Aldrich May to her daughter, Eliza Daniels May Goodwin ("Nannie", 1849-1920); to her daughter, Susan Goodwin Hodgson; to her daughter Eliza May Hodgson Kelso; to her son John Hodgson Kelso and then his wife, Marian L. Towers Kelso, who donated the sampler to the museum in 2020.

An inked family provenance on two pieces of paper is attached to the back of the sampler. It reads:
Susan Emilia Aldrich born at Smithfield Rhode Island/
Jan 8 1824. Died Oct 16 . 1878/
Daughter of Eliza Daniels and/ who owned/ the old tea set/
Ezekiel Aldrich/ of/ Smithfield/ R. I./
Her sister Carrie married/ William Augustus/ Moury/ whom we called “Uncle Augustus/
& I visited with him on Martha’s/ Vineyard Island the summer of/ 1916/

Married/
Oliver Wolcott May/
b. Sept 6 1820/
d. Mar 17 – 1885/

They had/
1 Eliza Daniels May (“Nannie/ Goodwin”)/ who married Edwin Horace Goodwin/
2 William May – no children but adopted one, a girl, Ruth./ (Had a shoe store)/
3 Ezekiel May/
Oliver/ Walter/ John/ Sam/ William – (He showed me around Boston/ in 1916)/ all lived in or near / Worchester Mass.
4 Samuel (Hurt in gym at Amherst College), was on way to/ law when hurt. Had a brokerage business./
“Nannie” was born at Woonsocket R. I. then her parents moved to/ Worchester Mass. (from Foundry MO[?])

Susan Emilia Aldrich was: Grandmother of/ Susan Goodwin Hodgson/
Great Grandmother of Eliza May Hodgson Kelso/
Great Great Grandmother of John Hodgson Kelso/ and Susan Virginia Kelso/
She also made the old needle points to the old/ divan while she was in boarding school for/
her “Hope Chest”. Her Husband/ Oliver Wolcott May// later had them put on the divan he had made./
The old Lyre Table was hers too.