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Ralph Winstanley Wood and His Son, William Warren Wood

Maker (British, 1747-1801)
Sitter (British, 1745 - 1831)
Sitter (British, born 1780)
ClassificationsPAINTINGS
Date1787
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions36 x 28 1/2 in. (91.4 x 72.4 cm.)
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gift of John and Mary Ann Sturgeon
Label TextIn this painting, Ralph Winstanley Wood exhibits the familiar affection that characterized many late-18th-century portraits. Reaching around his son’s back, he draws him close with a kind smile. This physical and psychological closeness shows the influence of the 18th-century French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who urged fathers to take responsibility for their sons at an early age. A corresponding painting of the female members of the Wood family, also hanging in this room, shows Mary Margaretta Wood with two of her daughters.
Status
On view
Object number97.37
Terms
    Mary Margaret (Pearce) Wood and Two of her Daughters
    Francis Wheatley
    1787
    Object number: 56.22
    The Ferry
    Francis Wheatley
    ca. 1790
    Object number: 76.27
    Prison Scene
    Francis Wheatley
    n.d.
    Object number: 73.29B
    Scene in a Cottage
    Francis Wheatley
    n.d.
    Object number: 73.29A
    Itinerant Peasants
    Francis Wheatley
    1786
    Object number: 59.55.1442
    Cottage Interior with Figures
    Francis Wheatley
    n.d.
    Object number: 59.55.1440
    Palmerston Fair I
    Francis Wheatley
    1782
    Object number: 57.3
    Palmerston Fair II
    Francis Wheatley
    1782
    Object number: 57.2
    Samnite Marriage
    Francis Wheatley
    1786
    Object number: 70.23
    Mrs. Elijah Boardman and her Son, William Whiting Boardman
    Ralph Earl
    ca. 1796
    Object number: 83.8.15
    Charles Erskine Scott Wood
    Unknown, American
    n.d.
    Object number: 85.42