Portrait of Susanna Cardwell McCausland (Mrs. James McCausland) and Child

Dateca. 1805

Attributed to Joshua Johnson (active ca. 1800-ca. 1824)

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsUnframed: 25 3/8 x 22 1/8in. (64.5 x 56.2cm) and Framed: 30 7/8 x 27 5/8 x 2 1/8in.

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1959.100.3,A&B

DescriptionThree-quarter length portrait of a woman and child. The woman is seated on a dark colored upholstered sofa with brass tacks along edges. The background behind the sitters is brown. The woman is dressed in a silver grey empire-style gown with short sleeves. A sheer lace scarf is over her shoulders and pinned neatly across her chest with a oval-shaped gold stick pin. Her hair is brown with a few curly bangs over her forehead. Her hair is covered with a delicate lace cap which is fastened with a pink ribbon on the top of her head. A small child is seated in her lap, dressed in a high waisted white dress and lace cap tied with a small pink string under the child's chin. The child has pudgy arms and is holding two red cherries in the left hand. The flesh tones of both figures is a odd combination of grey and pink.
Label TextIn a 1798 advertisement in the Baltimore Intelligencer; Joshua Johnson escribed himself as a “self-taught” genius. The first Black person known to have made a career for himself as an artist, Johnson worked in the Baltimore area from around 1795 until 1825. Not only was Johnson able to support himself and his family of five as an artist, but land records indicate that Johnson was a property owner in Montgomery, Frederick, and Anne Arundel counties after 1824.

Only one of Johnson’s surviving works is signed by the artist. The remainder of the works are attributed, and many are dated based on approximate ages as well as the costumes worn by the sitters. This painting likely dates to about 1805 and portrays one of the four children born to Susanna between 1800 and 1810.

MarkingsNone found
ProvenanceDescended in the family to Bradley A. McCausland, Orlando Fla.