Sisters

c. 1840

American 19th Century

Associated Names
The image shows a bust-length portrait of two young girls positioned side by side, occupying the left and right halves of the canvas. Both girls are facing forward, with their bodies angled slightly inward toward each other. They have pale complexions with prominent facial features; the girl on the left has large brown eyes, while the girl on the right has striking blue eyes. Their hair is styled in long, dark brown, tightly-coiled ringlets that fall to their shoulders, with a slight part in the middle. Both are wearing dark-colored dresses with wide, off-the-shoulder necklines that reveal their collarbones and bare necks. The background is a plain, light beige color, offering no additional context or embellishments. There are no visible pieces of jewelry or objects in their hands.

Media Options

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Artwork overview


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Recorded as from New York. (David Hollander, New York City), by whom sold in 1951 to Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch; by bequest to NGA, 1980.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1954

  • American Primitive Paintings from the Collection of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, Part I, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1954, no. 85.

1958

  • American Folk Art. Part of American Art. Four Exhibitions, Brussels Universal and International Exhibition, Belgium, 1958, no. 86, 47, as Twin Sisters by Unknown.

Bibliography

1958

  • American Folk Art. Part of American Art. Four Exhibitions. Exh. cat. Brussels Universal and International Exhibition, Belgium, 1958: no. 86, 47, as Twin Sisters.

1992

  • Chotner, Deborah, with contributions by Julie Aronson, Sarah D. Cash, and Laurie Weitzenkorn. American Naive Paintings. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1992: 590-592, repro. 591.

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 426, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q20186846

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