Mrs. Philip John Schuyler (Catherine van Rensselaer)
Walter Robertson, Irish
ca. 1795
Medium
Painting-Miniature
Classification
Painting-Miniature
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Accession Number
1999.27.43
Tags
hatbustelderly
About this artwork
The marriage of Catherine van Rensselaer (1734-1803) and Philip Schuyler in 1755 united two of the oldest and most prominent families of Albany, New York. Their home, Schuyler Mansion, is now a landmark. “Kitty,” as she was known, was considered quite a beauty in her youth, but here she is a much older woman. She gave birth to fifteen children, three of whom were born after she had turned forty years old.