Lady in Blue

DatePossibly 1832 to 1833

Attributed to Ruth Whittier Shute (1803-1882)

Attributed to Dr. Samuel Addison Shute (1803 - 1836)

OriginAmerica, New England or New York

MediumWatercolor, gouache, pencil, and gold foil collage on wove paper

DimensionsPrimary support: 5 7/8 x 4 5/8in. (14.9 x 11.7cm) and Framed: 6 3/4 x 5 1/2in.

Credit LineGift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller

Object number1935.300.3

DescriptionHalf-length portrait of a woman in low, square-necked blue dress with leg-o-mutton sleeves, black undersleeves. Wears white transparent sheer "shawl" over shoulders and tied at throat in scarf-like effect with white blue-printed ribbon. Brown hair piled atop head in four very large curls and held by two simulated (tortoise shell?) combs. Subject holds rose in her right hand. Rectangular belt buckle and drop earings are applied collage of gold paper. Background in broad, brown wash. Some attempt at shading around facial features and under chin. Features described in pencil; lace in gouache. Period replacement 5/8-inch gilt frame.
Label TextRuth and Samuel Shute were a husband-and-wife team who created miniatures and full-scale portraits over a wide area of upper New York State and New England. The museum's likeness of an unidentified lady in a blue dress illustrates several characteristics of the artists' work: facial features defined in pencil, a loosely painted, streaky background, and selected details depicted in gouache or represented by collage elements. White gouache in the subject's lace collar, neck ribbon, and belt contrasts pleasingly with the translucence of her dress. Her belt buckle and drop earrings are gold foil cutouts glued to the surface of the paper.

Exactly how the Shutes divided their labor is not known. Another portrait provides a clue, for it is inscribed "Drawn by R. W. Shute and Painted by S. A. Shute."

MarkingsPencilled on the reverse of the frame along one side in what appears to be modern handwriting is "Margaret Grimes." No watermark found.
ProvenanceStephen Van Rensselaer, Williamsburg, Va.; Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; Given to C. W. by Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.