Artwork
Portrait of Mrs. Sackett
Portrait of Mrs. Sackett is an unspecified painting by the American Folk Art artist Samuel Lovett Waldo. It dates from 1839 and is held in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Samuel Lovett Waldo’s 1839 oil portrait, titled Portrait of Mrs. Sackett, depicts a seated woman in a dark dress against a muted backdrop. The work is part of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s collection and exemplifies the artist’s focus on individualized, domestic subjects during the early nineteenth century.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is presented with dark hair, a black gown trimmed in white lace, and a gold bracelet on her right wrist. She rests her hands on a table that holds an open book and a vase of flowers, suggesting literacy and genteel leisure, while the restrained composition emphasizes personal dignity over narrative drama.
Technique & Style
Waldo employs a realistic approach, rendering textures of fabric, metal, and foliage with precise brushwork. Subtle chiaroscuro models the figure, creating a gradual transition from illuminated facial features to the enveloping darkness behind her, thereby imparting a three‑dimensional presence within the limited pictorial space.
History & Provenance
Completed in 1839, the portrait entered the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s holdings in the twentieth century, though the exact acquisition date is not recorded in the museum’s public records. Its provenance reflects the broader movement of American portraiture from private patronage into public institutions.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Madame Mols-de Brialmont
Agatha Petronella Hartsen (1814-78). In bruidstoilet ter gelegenheid van haar huwelijk met Jan van der Hoop op 17 maart 1841
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