The painting documents a quiet moment in the intimacy of the artist’s family home after he returned there to care for his aging parents and his orphaned niece, who are the subjects of this portrait. In the foreground is a George II mahogany side chair pushed against the table covered in a crisp, white cloth and set with a rustic pitcher of flowers, a plate of bread, a simple bowl, and a squat, silver teapot gleaming in the background. Dark, heavy curtains part to let the morning light filter through lacy sheers. The scene is devoid of any of the Victorian frivolity popular at the time and instead taps into the stoicism of a solidly Protestant, middle-class household.

from Calendar of Events, Spring 2020