Portrait of a Family

1922

Edith R. Wilson

Associated Names
Edith R. Wilson

Artist, American, 1864 - 1924

The artwork is a sepia-toned portrait featuring four individuals. The composition includes the head and shoulders of each person. On the left, an adult with short, neatly styled hair gazes directly at the viewer, with a calm expression. Next to them, a young girl with neatly pulled-back hair looks towards the camera, her face partially shadowed. Below them is a young boy, also looking directly at the viewer, with short hair and a serious expression. On the right, another young girl is in profile, her hair pulled back, looking towards the center of the image. The background is softly blurred, emphasizing the family group. The overall tone of the photograph is warm.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    palladium print

  • Credit Line

    R. K. Mellon Family Foundation

  • Dimensions

    image: 22 × 15.3 cm (8 11/16 × 6 in.)
    mount: 35.6 × 27.5 cm (14 × 10 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2013.178.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Estate of Margaret Watkins; (Robert Mann Gallery, New York, 2012); (Charles Isaacs, Photographs, Inc., New York); NGA purchase, 2013.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

-1

  • Margaret Watkins: Domestic Symphony, Robert Mann Gallery, New York, March 14 - May 11, 2013.

2014

  • A Subtle Beauty: Platinum Photographs from the Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2014 - 2015, unnumbered catalogue.

Inscriptions

signed by artist, lower right on mount under image in graphite: Edith R Wilson.; on verso, by artist, center in graphite: Palladium Print [underlined] / Negro Family / By Edith R. Wilson, / Canaan Conn 1922. / (C.H.W. Summer School); by unknown hand, top center in graphite: full [?]; upper right corner: RMG 26111 869; across bottom: 2176 1997.cws.135 [CWS 69]

Wikidata ID

Q64147055