Tacy Shoemaker
Attributedattributed to
Charles Willson Peale
(American, 1741 - 1827)
Attributedpreviously attributed to
Charles Bird King
(American, 1785 - 1862)
Collections
ClassificationsPAINTINGS
Date1818
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions30 1/8 x 25 1/8 in. (76.5 x 63.8 cm.)
frame: 36 3/8 x 28 1/8 x 20 in. (92.4 x 71.4 x 50.8 cm.)
DescriptionPortrait of a woman with a sewing basket
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gift of Lelia Canby Hughes, in memory of the estate of Charles Francis Saunders
Label TextTacy Shoemaker belonged to the Society of Friends, and the Quaker ideals of simplicity and plainness are reflected in her attire and activity. Although dressed in a fashionable gown with a high Empire waist, she wears no extra adornments and a neckerchief modestly covers her chest and neck. She appears to be "plain sewing"-making and mending everyday household items-which suggests her domesticity and industry, values considered appropriate for a Quaker woman. Peale most likely painted the portrait in 1818 in Washington, D.C., in honor of the sitter's second marriage. This painting has been attributed to Charles Willson Peale on the basis of style and technique, written documents, and family lore. Hannah Moore, Peale's third wife, also was a Quaker from Washington D.C., and it is possible that she and Shoemaker knew each other. Peale portrayed his wife wearing a similar costume around 1816.
Status
On viewObject number98.1
Exhibitions
