Collections record Beta

Oil Painting - Tamar Taylor Masters (1759-1842)

1924-02-2

Oil on canvas portrait of Mrs. Nicholas Shelton Masters, (1759-1842), 3/4 length image of a woman seated, facing left, in a red upholstered side chair, her right arm resting on a table covered with a red cloth, her left hand in lap holding a book. Long straight brown hair and brown eyes, Wearing a lace mop cap, a burgundy silk dress with a lace overbodice, double lace collar, a gold locket hangs around her neck. Red drapery to the right, an open landscape to the left

SITTER: Tamar Taylor Masters (1759-1842) was born in New Milford, CT the daughter of the Rev. Nathaniel and Tamar Boardman Taylor. She was the second wife of Nicholas Shelton Masters, m. in 1786. The couple had one daughter, Susan Masters (1793-1849) who attended the Litchfield Female Academy in 1805. 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

1796

Painting: 47 1/2" x 36"; Frame: 50 1/2" x 39"

• oil
• canvas