Block numbered in two places: 7094, also 1453 on small adhesive label on back of block., Image an older woman outside leaning or stooping toward the ground in front of a tree; three girls facing her looking on, one reaching out hands, perhaps to assist her., “N.J. Wemmer 215 Pear St. Phila” – Back of block. Boxwood dealer Nelson J. Wemmer is listed at this address in Philadelphia city directories from 1861 to 1876., Back of block partially obscured by pasted-down piece of paper.
Waist-length seated portrait of Mrs. Benjamin wearing bonnet, holding staff., In The American phrenological journal, vol. 20 (Nov., 1854), p. 101., "She was with the army all through the Revolutionary War. She was in Albany during the hard winter of 1780, and at West Point two or three years, while the army was stationed there ; and when it left under General Washington, she followed. Her business was cooking and washing for her husband and other soldiers. She speaks distinctly of riding horseback through the streets of Philadelphia on the way to Yorktown and also of embarking on board ship at the head of Elk river, and of cruising down Chesapeake Bay, and landing (I think) at James River.”--P. 101., Also known as Sarah Osborn.
A woman ice skates. She has a headdress and curls along her forehead that resemble Ancient Greek styles., Text: When ancient damsels take to ice, / The fire of youth no longer shines, / And they should quit this poor device / For catching cold and Valentines., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
Waist-length portrait of Mrs. Morris, seated in chair, wearing a bonnet and a shawl, and holding a book in her right hand and eyeglasses in her left hand., In Smith, John Jay, ed. Letters of Doctor Richard Hill and his children (Philadelphia, 1854), plate preceding p. 393., "Aet 76"., Mrs. Morris was the sixth daughter of physician Richard Hill and of prominent Quaker lineage, belonging to the Hill, Lloyd, Moore, and Morris families of Philadelphia., Presumed that artist is Morris’s grandson, Morris Smith., Another portrait appears in: Smith, John Jay, ed. Letters of Doctor Richard Hill and his children (Philadelphia, 1854), plate preceding p. 89.
In Serious almanac, 1845-’46, p. [31]., Mrs. Crawford, the wife of William Crawford Jr., died in their home in Elkton, Md. Apparently, she started a fire while lighting a pipe. Cf. Philadelphia inquirer (May 21, 1844)., Full-length portrait of Mrs. Crawford, burning to death, with a pipe on the floor nearby., The same image appears in Tragic almanac 18-46 (New York, 1845), p. [17].
Bust-length portrait of Alice, wearing a bonnet., In Thomas, Isaiah. Eccentric biography; or, Memoirs of remarkable female characters, ancient and modern (Worcester, 1804), plate preceding p. vii., Alice, known variously as Black Alice and Alice of Dunk’s Ferry, was a native of Philadelphia and a slave, born to parents who had come from Barbados. She is said to have been 116 at the time of her death in 1802. In extreme old age Alice received many visitors who enjoyed hearing stories about early Philadelphia and its famous first settlers, including William Penn and Thomas Logan. Alice was also a lifelong worshiper at Christ Church in Philadelphia., “Being a sensible intelligent woman, and having a good memory, which she retained to the last, she would often make judicious remarks on the population and improvements of the city and country; hence her conversation became peculiarly interesting, especially to the immediate descendents of the first settlers, of whose ancestors she often related acceptable anecdotes.”--P. 9.
In Cries of the metropolis, or, Humble life in New York (Rutland, 1858), p. [7]., Full-length portrait of Elizabeth Carl, seated with a basket of apples next to her., Born in Potsdam, Elizabeth Carl came to New York City at age 73, and sold apples outside A.T. Stewart’s department store (and possibly other stores) for the following 17 years.
Gift of David Doret and Linda G. Mitchell, 2022., Label on the verso from Montclair Art Museum (Montclair, N.J.) (Double Head Study), Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ethan D. Alyea. 1964.51., Bust-length, forward-facing portrait study of two white women. In the left, shows an older woman with brown ringlet curls framing her forehead and attired in a white lace day cap tied in a bow under her chin and a dark-colored dress with a white lace collar. In the right, shows a young woman with her dark brown hair parted in the middle and tied back and attired in dress with a white neckline. There is an additional portrait of a woman on the verso of the canvas. A cut out in the frame reveals the eyes of the portrait. A photocopy reproduction is taped to the back. Bust-length portrait of a white woman with her blonde hair tied back and attired in drop earrings, a multi-stranded necklace, and a light blue dress.
The grandmother wears a poke-bonnet and shawl. The valentine mocks older women who pursue younger men., Text: I'm a lonely Grandmother, / And want a young beau, / To nurse and caress me / As older I grow., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
An older woman sits reading to three small children. The text suggests that she vents her frustrations at being unmarried on the children., Text: Deserted old damsel, so prim and demure, / You have lost all your hopes for a husband at last; / When you refused, and you now must endure, / Your old maidish thoughts and regrets for the past. / Sour tempered old dame whose only delight, / Is to tease the poor children who are put in your care; / On them vent your spleen if they are not quite right, / And to vex and annoy them as much as you dare., Provenance: Helfand, William H..
A woman with an oversized head leans over a smaller man with her index finger raised in the air. Her mouth is open and her tongue is out. The man has a papers labeled "Tracts" in his pocket and a book labeled "Bible" has fallen on the floor. The valentine criticizes her for exhausting others and monopolizing the preacher's attention., Text: ‘Tis said you loved a Parson, / And he was short of breath; / You cornered him so well one day / You talked him right to death. / Now, when they hear you’re coming, / It makes them wince and frown; / The seek the nearest depot, / And take the train from town. / I pray thee stop, and have some pity, / Or we won’t have a preacher in the city., Provenance: Helfand, William H..
Three-quarter length portrait of the triplets, seated side by side. All three wear bonnets and hold their hands in their laps in a similar manner., In The American phrenological journal, vol. 28 (Sept., 1858), p. 40., “These persons resemble each other very strongly, more especially Mrs. Bushnell and Grennell. Though it is not always the case that twins and triplets resemble each other in appearance and character, yet it is more common for them to do so than it is for those of single birth, because the parents in cases of twins transmit characteristics to the progeny from one given condition of body and of mind….”--P. 40.
A wrinkled woman holds a parasol and tilts her head up. The sender criticizes the recipient's fear of marriage and threatens that she will be damned., Text: My wrinkled old maid, who to wed is afraid, / And therefore, unmarried will stick; / At the end of your days if you don't mend your ways, / You're sure to be caught by Old Nick., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
