Mrs. David Forman and Child
Charles Willson Peale
1 of 2
Object Label
The wife of a wealthy Continental Army officer and the mother of eleven children, Mrs. David Forman was portrayed by Charles Willson Peale in an interior that was meant to suggest the elegance and bounty of her domestic life. She sits on a chair with scrolling acanthus leaves, alluding to ancient Greek and Roman decoration. The presence of the landscape painting behind her signaled the cultured life of the Forman household, and the gently idealized curves of its composition offered a parallel to the sitter’s natural feminine beauty and grace.
Caption
Charles Willson Peale (American, 1741–1827). Mrs. David Forman and Child, ca. 1785. Oil on canvas, 51 × 39 3/8 in. (129.5 × 100 cm) frame: 56 × 44 1/2 × 2 1/2 in. (142.2 × 113 × 6.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver and Museum Collection Fund, 23.51. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Collection
Collection
Artist
Title
Mrs. David Forman and Child
Date
ca. 1785
Medium
Oil on canvas
Classification
Dimensions
51 × 39 3/8 in. (129.5 × 100 cm) frame: 56 × 44 1/2 × 2 1/2 in. (142.2 × 113 × 6.4 cm)
Signatures
Unsigned
Credit Line
Carll H. de Silver and Museum Collection Fund
Accession Number
23.51
Frequent Art Questions
Do you know what she is holding and whether it is significant?
Yes! In this portrait by Charles W. Peale, Mrs. David Forman is holding cherries, which were a common symbol of love or matrimony.The artist likely borrowed the motif from the recently published book "Emblems for the Improvement and Entertainment of Youth." Fruits and flowers in Colonial American portraits also showed that the sitters had access to these luxuries and maybe even cultivated and grew the fruit or flowers themselves, which was considered an accomplishment.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at