New Web objects Portrait

Joseph H. Davis

Date: c. 1832–38

Credit Line: Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection

Object number: 1992.30

Text Entries: <i>Two Centuries of American Folk Painting, </i>Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois, February 10–April 21, 1985.<br><br> Collection Cameo companion piece, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 2000.<br><br> <i>Figures and Forms: Selections from the Terra Foundation for the Arts, </i>Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 9–July 9, 2000.<br><br> <i>A Rich Simplicity: Folk Art from the Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, </i>Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, June 7–September 21, 2003.<br><br> <i>Visages de l'Amérique: de George Washington à Marilyn Monroe</i> (<i>Faces of America: From George Washington to Marilyn Monroe</i>), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2004 (on exhibition partial run: April 1–July 5, 2004). [exh. cat.]

Joseph H. Davis

Date: 1833

Credit Line: Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection

Object number: 1992.31

Text Entries: Many early-nineteenth-century paintings of young adults depict courtship or engagement, as might this one. Although books commonly symbolized refinement and frequently appear in Davis's portraits, this book joins the couple, perhaps emphasizing their pending union. The unpainted background accentuates the fashionable couple's costume and coiffure which are rendered with crisp precision. The colorful decorative carpet or stenciled floor provides visual weight that helps to anchor the figures in space.

Joseph H. Davis

Date: 1834

Credit Line: Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection

Object number: 1999.36

Text Entries: Joseph H. Davis, of New Hampshire and Maine, primarily painted profile likenesses of New England residents in watercolor on paper, a less expensive and more convenient medium to travel with than oil paint and canvas. In his distinct style, Davis rendered facial features with linear precision and objects signifying refined middle-class taste with meticulous description. Several Davis trademarks appear in this watercolor: the sitters' names and ages and the date appear in skillful calligraphic lettering along the base of the painting and a framed picture above a table-in this case, a farm-typically a reference to the sitter's home or business. Samuel wears a plain suit, which communicated respectability and personal achievement during this time of emerging American capitalism. His colorfully decorated soft cap, an accessory worn at home or in casual situations, stands in contrast to his somber costume. Mary Vickery's dress expresses prosperity through the fine delicate quality of her lace apron, her fringed red kerchief, and the rich blue gown with large puffed sleeves that were in vogue from 1825 to 1840.