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American Art

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Image of Portrait of Esther Fortune Warren and Her Daughter Hester

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Bookmark: https://collection.sdmart.org/objects-1/info/2563

Portrait of Esther Fortune Warren and Her Daughter Hester

Thomas Sully, American (born Britain), (June 19, 1783–November 5, 1872)

Creation date: 1811
Creation place: United States

Other Information

Type: Oil Painting
Medium and Support: Oil on canvas
Credit Line: Gift of John R. and Anna D. Reilly, through their children
Accession Number: 1973.115
State/Province: Pennsylvania
Dimensions: 25 3/8 in. x 21 3/8 in. (64.45 cm x 54.29 cm)

Provenance

Mr. and Mrs. John D. Reilly, Coronado, California ( - December 4, 1973)

Thomas Sully, (January 28, 1811 - February 21, 1811)

Esther Fortune Warren, (February 21, 1811 - )

San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California (December 4, 1973 - )

Label Copy

Sully arrived in the United States with his family in 1792, when he was just nine years old. In June 1809, he returned to England, where he had the opportunity to meet with the artist Benjamin West (1738–1820) and absorb his techniques. A comparison of Portrait of Esther Fortune Warren and Her Daughter Hester with its companion piece, Portrait of William Warren, reveals how Sully’s style evolved after he returned to the United States. His rendering of Esther portrays a richer, more decorative dressed figure. The subject wears a velvet robe, and lace on the garment beneath the robe shows across the top of her back. Moreover, the background of the painting is more lush than those in Sully’s earlier portraits. Esther was William Warren’s third wife. They had six children together, and Hester was their eldest child. All of the children in the family entered the family business of theater.
Last Updated: 7/24/2017

Exhibition

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

Behold, America! Art of the United States from Three San Diego Museums The San Diego Museum of Art , 11/10/2012 - 2/10/2013

Modern and Contemporary , 12/21/2013 - 00/00/00

Art of the Americas San Diego Museum of Art , 12/23/2013 - 00/00/00

American Art The San Diego Museum of Art , 11/26/2016 - 8/15/2021

Bibliography

This object has the following bibliographic references:

Edward Biddle and Mantle Fielding. The Life and Works of Thomas Sully (1783–1872) Garnier & Company. Charleston, South Carolina, 1969
Page Number: 310, no. 1891

Mr. D. Scott Atkinson. San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego Museum of Art. San Diego, California, 2003
Page Number: 160, 161, Figure Number: 161

Susan L. Klepp. Revolutionary Conceptions University of North Carolina Press. Williamsburg, Virginia, 2009
Page Number: Front and Back Cover

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American Art

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