Reverend Joseph Steward and Sarah Moseley Steward
PainterAttributed to
Joseph Steward
(American, 1753 - 1822)
SubjectPortrait of
Joseph Steward
(American, 1753 - 1822)
Dateabout 1798
MediumPainting; oil on canvas in frame
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width): 40 1/2 × 44 3/8in. (102.9 × 112.7cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number1972.10.0
DescriptionPainting of Reverend Joseph Steward and either his daughter, Sarah Moseley Steward, or an unidentified granddaughter, attributed to Steward (self-portrait). Steward is seated in an upholstered chair, and the girl appears to be standing next to a small table on which is sitting an inkwell, quill pen, and piece of paper. She is holding a small bird on her outstretched finger. Steward's left arm is resting on a table over which red cloth is draped, with an artist's palette next to him.
NotesSubject note: Labels and inscriptions on the back of the painting identify the sitters as Joseph Steward and his daughter Sarah, but a note in the object file states, "This painting formerly was thought to depict the artist and his daughter Sarah Moseley Steward and to date about 1800, but Steward's evident advanced age and the overall style of the work point to a date near the end of Steward's life." It is possible that the girl in the painting is Steward's granddaughter.Status
Not on view
Joseph Steward
1788-1822
Stephen Bulkeley