CC0 · no rights reserved
Mary Elizabeth Francis, the Artist's Daughter
From the collection of Smithsonian American Art Museum. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In this charming portrait of his only daughter, John F. Francis included decorative props such as a floral-patterned carpet, straw hat with scarf, and a kitten. The oval format of the painting evokes the miniatures that nineteenth-century Americans commissioned to preserve the memories of their loved ones. Mary died in 1856, and by the end of the decade Francis had lost all of his immediate family. He survived for another thirty years, perhaps drawing comfort from this beautifully painted image of his daughter.
Smithsonian American Art Museum’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineMary Elizabeth Francis, the Artist's Daughter. ca. 1840. John F. Francis, born Philadelphia, PA 1808-died Jeffersonville, PA 1886. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase and gift in memory of Grace Brereton Sturtevant, the artist's great niece. CC0.
