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2008.300.3, Portrait
The Barrett Sisters
2008.300.3, Portrait

The Barrett Sisters

Date1837
Attributed to Joseph H. Davis (1811-1865)
OriginAmerica, New Hampshire
MediumWatercolor, ink, and pencil on wove paper
DimensionsPrimary Support: 6 15/16 x 8 7/8in. (17.6 x 22.5cm) and Framed: 9 1/2 x 11 5/8in.
Credit LineGift of Juli Grainger
Object number2008.300.3
DescriptionA double, full-length portrait of two girls shown standing and facing one another with a yellow stand between them on which sets a blooming, potted plant. Both girls wear full, blue-trimmed, mauve-colored dresses with matching pantaloons and white collars and aprons and black shoes. Each has chin-length hair pulled back and held at the side by a comb. They stand on a flamboyantly patterned, brightly colored floor, and there is a lower margin reserve containing an inscription.
The 1 3/8-inch splayed, grain-painted frame appears to be a 20th century replacement.
Label TextIn the boldness of its color and pattern, the flooring is typical of the artist's work, as is the fine detailing of the girls' attire. Notice, particularly, the intricate designs of their aprons. Davis also routinely minimized the sizes of his subjects' hands and feet, giving his patrons a certain affinity with period fashion plates. Here, the girls' stylishly oversized sleeves and voluminous skirts further emphasize their dainty appendages. The exuberantly blooming plant set supported by a yellow, turned-leg stand makes an attractive focal point for the composition.
As yet, the Barrett sisters have not been identified beyond the facts given in the lower margin inscription.
InscribedIn flourished slanting script, with phrases alternately slanting (forward) and upright, in black ink in the lower margin reserve is: "Mary Elizabeth Barrett. Aged 9. Decembr 1st. 1837. Alice G. Barrett. Aged 7. April 21st 1837". [The names slant forward, the remainder is upright].
No inscriptions were found on the back, nor any watermark in the primary support.
ProvenanceDescended in the family of the subjects to David Wiggins; to an unidentified owner; acquired from the preceding by Peter H. Tillou, Litchfield, Conn; sold at auction 26 October 1985, whence acquired by Juli Grainger, AARFAM's donor.