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Oil Painting - Mary Floyd Tallmadge with Children

1917-04-2

Oil on canvas portrait of Mary Floyd Tallmadge, (1763-1805) with her son, Henry Floyd (1787-1854) and her daughter, Maria Jones (1790-1878). Mrs. Tallmadge sits in a straight back chair with her daughter on her lap and her son at her feet. Her hair is puffed, powdered, and trimmed with ostrich feathers, pearls and roses; she wears a blue silk dress with a double lace collar, mid-length sleeves and wide lace cuffs. In her right hand she holds a painted fan, and around her wrist is a black band with pearl clasp. To her left is a green drapery with gold tassel trim, and to her right an open window with white church steeple visible in the distance.

SITTER: Mary Floyd Tallmadge was born in 1764 in Mastic, Long Island, daughter of William Floyd, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. She married Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge of Mastic, L.I. on March 16, 1784. The couple settled in Litchfield and had five sons and two daughters. Mary died on June 3, 1805 and is buried in the East Cemetery. ARTIST: Ralph Earl was born in Worcester County, Massachusetts to a family of farmers and craftsmen. A Loyalist, Earl refused to fight during the Revolutionary War, eventually fleeing to England and leaving his wife and children. In England, Earl studied in the studio of well-known American artist and expatriate Benjamin West. He returned to America after the war with a new wife and established himself as a portraitist in New York. Alcoholism and growing debt landed Earl in prison from 1786 to 1788. With the aid of New York patrons, he regained his freedom through portrait commissions and settled in Connecticut. His straightforward portraits and occasional landscapes are noted for highlighting the achievements and material wealth of his Connecticut clientele.

• Earl, Ralph, 1751-1801

1790

Painting: 79 1/2" x 55 1/2"; Frame: overall height 82.25", width 58 1/2", depth 3.125". depth (frame) 2.375"

• canvas
• oil