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James Earl

Portrait of Elisabeth Fales Paine and Her Aunt, ca. 1794-1796

Now On View

Description

Maker

Title

Portrait of Elisabeth Fales Paine and Her Aunt

Year

ca. 1794-1796

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

101.6 x 127 cm (40 x 50 inches)

Place

United States of America

Type

Credit

Museum Appropriation and Special Gift Fund

Object Number

24.052

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Making It In America

October 11, 2013 - February 9, 2014

This double portrait serves a dual function: it commemorates the bond between Elizabeth and her aunt Sarah, and also celebrates Elizabeth’s maturation into a polished young woman. Orphaned as girl, Elizabeth was sent from Bristol, Rhode Island, to South Carolina to be raised by paternal relatives. She later returned to Rhode Island and married Samuel W. Bridgham, who subsequently was elected the first mayor of Providence.

Born in Massachusetts, artist James Earl immigrated to England as a youth to improve his skills and seek a larger audience. He re-crossed the Atlantic in 1794, hoping a temporary venture in Charleston would bring him wealth, but perished in 1796 in a yellow fever epidemic

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Portrait of Elisabeth Fales Paine and Her Aunt with the accession number of 24.052. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.