Portrait of an Unknown Family with a Terrier

c. 1825/1835

British 19th Century

Associated Names
This artwork is a portrait of a family consisting of seven individuals and a white terrier. The family is positioned indoors, with various members arranged around a small table. At the center, a woman in a green dress and a white bonnet sits holding a book. Next to her, a man in a dark suit with a yellow waistcoat also holds a book. To their right, a young girl in a red dress is seated, holding an open book. Standing behind them are two women in dresses, one in blue and the other in brown, each holding a small flower. A young boy in a dark jacket and light trousers stands on the left, holding a hat. Next to him, a young man in a brown coat and blue bow tie stands with one hand inside his coat. The terrier stands in the foreground, looking up at the seated woman. The background features a green wall adorned with framed paintings and a window with red curtains through which a landscape with a church is visible.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Louis Lyons), New York, who sold it 1975 to Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch;[1] by bequest to NGA, 1980.

[1] A document of unidentified source in the NGA curatorial file on this painting notes 10 March 1975 as the date of purchase from Lyons.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 436.

  • Hayes, John. British Paintings of the Sixteenth through Nineteenth Centuries. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1992: 306-307, repro. 306.

Wikidata ID

Q20185341