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1931.300.13, Portrait
The York Family at Home
1931.300.13, Portrait

The York Family at Home

Date1837
Attributed to Joseph H. Davis (1811-1865)
OriginAmerica, New Hampshire, Lee (probably)
MediumWatercolor, pencil, and ink on wove paper
DimensionsPrimary support: 11 1/16" x 14 7/8" and Framed: 14" x 18"
Credit LineGift of Museum of Modern Art, formerly in the Collection of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller
Object number1931.300.13
DescriptionAt left, a man sits full length in near profile; he reads a newspaper clearly titled "MORNING STAR." He wears black shoes, pants and coat, a brown vest, and a white shirt. His black top hat rests upside down on the table in front of him. He has dark brown hair and sideburn; he wears a small hoop earring. On the table, left to right, are: a small black book with blue pages and a yellow striped spine; the aforementioned top hat; a large "Holy Bible" in orange, red, and yellow; a small "Bible" in red, yellow, and blue; a small black book with blue pages and a yellow striped spine; and a vase of tulips, roses, and morning glories.
Over the table, enclosed by a wreath of swagged brown garland, is a framed picture showing a square, hipped-roof house having four outside chimneys, a pedimented doorway, and a red door. The picture is framed in what appears to be a flat wood frame. A grey-and-white striped cat sits under the table, which is grain-painted in medium and dark browns and has a drawer with two embossed brass pulls. A woman sits at the far right, facing left in near profile, with her proper right foot on a small, red-upholstered stool with a fringed border. She wears a black dress; sheer white lace collar with a bow at the neck; and a black and grey apron with a deep decorative border. She has black hair pulled back and held by a tortiseshell comb. She wears an earring and a ring on the third finger of her proper left hand. On her lap, she holds a baby dressed in a long, cream-colored gown with red piping and a necklace. The two side chairs in which the adults sit are grain-painted in red and yellow. The floor covering is a bold pattern in colors (red, yellow, blue, and brown) outlined in black. In a lower margin reserve, ornate lettering over pencil guidelines is divided into units alternately slanting left and right. Much of the composition appears to have been sketched in pencil first. Guidelines for the table and an area of floor covering reveal how the artist changed his mind.
Label TextOver 150 watercolor portraits of prosperous middle-class residents of Maine and New Hampshire have been attributed to Joseph H. Davis of Limington, Maine. Many of Davis's carefully drawn and lively colored likenesses show married couples facing each other from opposite ends of a table. Interior details often include brightly colored carpets, gaily painted furniture, books, hats, children, pets, vases of flowers, framed pictures, garlands, and clocks. ‚
InscribedIn ink in two different ornate scripts in the margin at the bottom is: "Thomas York. Aged 50 March 29th 1837. Julia Ann, F. York. 4 months Augst 22/1837/Harriet York. Aged 26 August 23d 1837." Hand-written in block letters in ink at the top of Mr. York's newspaper is "MORNING STAR." No watermark found.
ProvenanceFound in New York State and purchased by Edith Gregor Halpert, Downtown Gallery, New York, NY; purchased from Halpert by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller in 1931; given by Rockefeller to the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, in 1939; given by MoMA to CWF in June 1954.