Mrs. Cornelius Baldwin (Mary Briscoe)

About this artwork

Philippe Abraham Peticolas painted Mary Baldwin (1767-1808) in Winchester, Virginia, at age thirty, twelve or thirteen years after her marriage to Dr. Cornelius Baldwin. She was the daughter of Gerard and Margaret Briscoe, whose portraits were painted by Charles Peale Polk. Mary had ten children and was the grandmother of Mary Julia Baldwin, for whom Mary Baldwin College, in Staunton, Virginia, was named.

Art Historical Context

In 1797, artist Abraham Peticolas created miniature portrait of Mary Bre Baldwin in Winchester,. At thirty years old Mary had been married to Dr. Cornelius Baldwin for twelve thirteen years. This paintingminiature, a cherished form of personal portraiture the late eighteenth century, a bust-length likeness the sitter, offering an intimate view of an American woman during the early Republic. Born in 1767 to Gerard and Margaret Briscoe, Mary came from a family whose portraits were also painted by Charles Peale Polk. She and her husband had ten children, and she lived until 1808. This work not only captures her appearance but also connects to a family legacy, as she was the grandmother of Mary Julia Baldwin, the namesake of Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia. Acquired by the Smithsonian American Art Museum through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, this miniature highlights the role of such artworks in documenting personal and familial histories in early America.