Three-quarter length, forward facing portrait of an African American girl caregiver, possibly an enslaved girl, seated on a wooden chair with spindles. Sitter has short hair and is attired in a long-sleeved dress made of patterned fabric with small checks and an apron with white polka dots. She holds a white girl on her lap (probably her charge), with her right hand on the girl’s chest and her left hand on the left side of the girl’s head. Their heads press together side-by-side. The blond-haired, white girl, attired in a necklace, a short-sleeved, dark-colored, checked dress with a white petticoat, stockings, and black shoes, faces the viewer and smiles. Her cheeks are tinted pink., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from photographic medium and attire of the sitters., Leather miniature case embossed with oval motif, contains nonpareil mat, and is missing front cover., Gift of Mrs. A. Douglas Oliver, 1977., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
Date
[ca. 1860]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Cased photos - unidentified [8326.F.17]