Mary Cadwalader Rawle
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Oval: 12 x 10 1/2 in. (30.5 x 26.7 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Max Farrand and Mrs. Cadwalader Jones, 1953
Accession Number
53.144
Tags
About this artwork
"Mary Cadwalader Rawle" by William Oliver Stone, created in 1868, is executed in oil on canvas. This work belongs to the Metropolitan Museum's The American Wing collection. The work measures oval: 12 x 10 1/2 in. (30.5 x 26.7 cm). It originates from American. The artwork entered the museum's collection through gift of mrs. max farrand and mrs. cadwalader jones, 1953.
Art Historical Context
In the tranquil oval frame of this 1868 oil on canvas portrait, William Oliver Stone captures Mary Cadwalader Rawle with refined elegance characteristic of post-Civil War American portrait. Measuring just 12 x 10½ inches (30.5 x 26.7 cm), the intimate scale suggests it was a personal commission, perhaps for family display, highlighting Stone's skill in rendering delicate features and fabrics in a compact format. Oval portraits like this were popular in 19th-century America for their classical nod to Renaissance traditions while suiting domestic interiors. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of ...