Mother and Daughter of the Chase Family (Probably Priscilla Worthen James Chase and Daughter)1834–18369 5/8 x 13 1/2 "
Frame: 12 3/8 x 16 3/8 x 3/4 "Watercolor, ink, pencil on paper; in original painted wood frame with bronze powder stencilingGift of Cyril Irwin Nelson in devoted memory of his grandmother Elinor Irwin Holden and of his mother, Elise Macy Nelson2004.14.101538542423P1.1998.006J. EvansDrawingsThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domain.DeerfieldDeerfieldUnited StatesNew HampshireWorks on PaperDeerfieldThis family portrait is one of more than two dozen watercolor profile portraits attributed to J. Evans, who was active from 1827 to about 1850. Several of the subjects were residents of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, parts of Maine, the Roxbury section of Boston, and New York City. The signature “J. Evans/Painter” on two works provides the basis for attribution of all the works. Virtually no other information is known, including the artist’s gender.
Evans’s portraits usually were executed directly, in pencil. Perspective is flat in early works, but later paintings convey an illusion of depth through shading. When the portraits feature a pair of subjects, they face each other, as in conventional English conversation pieces, but do not appear to make eye contact. In their stance and dress, Evans’s subjects exude elegance and decorum. Faces are carefully rendered, and feet and hands are tiny. Special attention is devoted to women’s coiffures and clothing embellished with decorative collars, neck ribbons, and lace edging. Props such as handkerchiefs, books, or sheets of music often are present.
This mother and daughter of the Chase family stand facing each other on a patterned floral rug against a plain white background. The mother’s right shoulder and the daughter’s left are turned slightly to allow a three-quarter view of each. Evans’s favored pink and blue accent colors are seen in the figures’ clothing and accessories. The dresses feature fashionable leg-of-mutton sleeves, and the mother’s hair is dressed high with tortoiseshell combs. The faces, in subtle flesh tones, feature the protruding upper lip characteristic of Evans’s subjects. The original wood frame is grained and stenciled, probably by an area craftsman, and features floral motifs that echo the floor pattern.
The subjects are probably Priscilla Worthen James Chase, daughter of Enoch James of Deerfield, New Hampshire, and her daughter, one of two Chase children who died young. Priscilla was born on July 10, 1808, and died on September 26, 1850. She married Dr. Charles Chase on May 17, 1833. Since the Chases’ next and last child was a boy named Charles Dudley, born in 1837, the girl in the painting was probably born between 1834 and 1836.PAINTINGThis is one of more than two-dozen watercolor profile portraits attributed to the mysterious artist J. Evans, who was active in New Hampshire, Maine, Boston, and New York. The signature "J. Evans/Painter" on two works provides the basis for attribution; virtually no other information is known, including the artist's gender. In this mimetic portrait, a mother and daughter of the Chase family face each other in identical stances and each extends an offering that is age and gender appropriate. Neither engages the other, and instead they stare straight ahead; the child will become the mother, the mother was once the child. On the floor, a floral rug is a minimal gesture against a plain white background. The subjects are probably Priscilla Worthen James Chase (1808–1850) of Deerfield, New Hampshire, and her daughter, one of two children born to Priscilla and her husband, Dr. Charles A. Chase, who died at a young age.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Mother and Daughter of the Chase Family (probably Priscilla Worthen James Chase and Daughter)," exhibition label for ALSO ON VIEW: Selections from the Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2014.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.orgwatercolorP1.1998.00618341836 2004 14 1 This family portrait is one of more than two dozen watercolor profile portraits attributed to J. Evans, who was active from 1827 to about 1850. Several of the subjects were residents of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, parts of Maine, the Roxbury section of Boston, and New York City. The signature “J. Evans/Painter” on two works provides the basis for attribution of all the works. Virtually no other information is known, including the artist’s gender.
Evans’s portraits usually were executed directly, in pencil. Perspective is flat in early works, but later paintings convey an illusion of depth through shading. When the portraits feature a pair of subjects, they face each other, as in conventional English conversation pieces, but do not appear to make eye contact. In their stance and dress, Evans’s subjects exude elegance and decorum. Faces are carefully rendered, and feet and hands are tiny. Special attention is devoted to women’s coiffures and clothing embellished with decorative collars, neck ribbons, and lace edging. Props such as handkerchiefs, books, or sheets of music often are present.
This mother and daughter of the Chase family stand facing each other on a patterned floral rug against a plain white background. The mother’s right shoulder and the daughter’s left are turned slightly to allow a three-quarter view of each. Evans’s favored pink and blue accent colors are seen in the figures’ clothing and accessories. The dresses feature fashionable leg-of-mutton sleeves, and the mother’s hair is dressed high with tortoiseshell combs. The faces, in subtle flesh tones, feature the protruding upper lip characteristic of Evans’s subjects. The original wood frame is grained and stenciled, probably by an area craftsman, and features floral motifs that echo the floor pattern.
The subjects are probably Priscilla Worthen James Chase, daughter of Enoch James of Deerfield, New Hampshire, and her daughter, one of two Chase children who died young. Priscilla was born on July 10, 1808, and died on September 26, 1850. She married Dr. Charles Chase on May 17, 1833. Since the Chases’ next and last child was a boy named Charles Dudley, born in 1837, the girl in the painting was probably born between 1834 and 1836.PAINTINGThis is one of more than two-dozen watercolor profile portraits attributed to the mysterious artist J. Evans, who was active in New Hampshire, Maine, Boston, and New York. The signature "J. Evans/Painter" on two works provides the basis for attribution; virtually no other information is known, including the artist's gender. In this mimetic portrait, a mother and daughter of the Chase family face each other in identical stances and each extends an offering that is age and gender appropriate. Neither engages the other, and instead they stare straight ahead; the child will become the mother, the mother was once the child. On the floor, a floral rug is a minimal gesture against a plain white background. The subjects are probably Priscilla Worthen James Chase (1808–1850) of Deerfield, New Hampshire, and her daughter, one of two children born to Priscilla and her husband, Dr. Charles A. Chase, who died at a young age.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Mother and Daughter of the Chase Family (probably Priscilla Worthen James Chase and Daughter)," exhibition label for ALSO ON VIEW: Selections from the Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2014.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.orgwatercolor