Mother Holding Baby

Date1835

Artist William Hillyer Jr. (active 1832-1864)

OriginAmerica, New York, New York City (probably)

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsUnframed: 33 1/4 x 29 1/4in. (84.5 x 74.3cm) and Framed: 40 3/8 x 36in.

Credit LineGift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller

Object number1939.100.4

DescriptionOil portrait half-length of mother holding baby in her lap. Mother appears to be seated on red upholstered sofa, with brown background behind her, and red drapery in upper left corner. Holds baby with left arm. Baby wears white high waisted baby dress with puff short sleeves, and lace trimming at cuffs, waist, and neckline. Baby wears matching white cap with lace edging and blue bow at top. Lace appears to have floral design. Baby wears two strands of coral necklace with gold clasp. Has pasty colored square face, and blue eyes, and large lower lip. Paint surface very thin on baby's face. Mother wears black dress with long leg-o-mutton sleeves. She has a large lace white scarf or collar on her dress fastened with gold oval pin. Her thin waist is surrounded with a black belt with rose and pink floral decoration on it. She wears a thick twisted gold watch on pencil holder necklace around her neck extended to her waist with a pencil attached. She has pierced ears with long dangling earings in gold with a blue stone hanging from them. Her dark brown hair is dressed high onto her head and seems to have a bow on top, and her eyes are brown, and her nose strong. This painting has severe condition problems, the inpainting was extremely poor, no attempt was made to raise the level of paint surface in inpainting, and was painted directly on the canvas. The paint colors and outlines of the figures are blurred. The faces are well rounded and full, the woman's head seems a trifle large for her wasp waisted figure. The artist had a little difficulty painting the woman's left hand as it holds the baby. Highlights of the details of the lace and gold jewelry are picked out with extra heavy layers of oil paint.
Label TextWilliam Hillyer, Jr., exhibited three portraits at the American Academy in 1833 and a portrait of a lady at the National Academy of Design in 1835 and 1836. By 1846 Hillyer and William H. Miller had become partners in a miniature and portrait studio in New York City and they exhibited seventeen pictures at the American Institute of the City of NewYork Fair. One of Hillyer and Miller's pictures won a diploma as the second best portrait painting in oil. Stephen Krauss joined their partnership sometime after 1859, and by 1862 the trio had turned from portrait painting to photography.
MarkingsAccording to label on an old photograph, "William Hillyer, 1835" was originally inscribed on the reverse of the canvas, but if so it is now obscured by the painting's lining.
ProvenancePurchased from Edith Gregor Halpert by Mrs. Rockefeller. Given to C. W. by Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.