Portrait of a Lady
1812/1819
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 76.2 × 63.5 cm (30 × 25 in.) framed: 87.63 × 74.93 cm (34 1/2 × 29 1/2 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of Elizabeth Luessenhop)
Accession Number
2014.136.125
Art Historical Context
**Portrait of a Lady**, painted by Ammi Phillips between 1812 1819, captures the poised elegance of an unidentified woman in oil on canvas—a medium favored by early American artists for its rich, durable finish that allowed for luminous skin tones and intricate fabric details. Measuring 30 × 25 inches, this intimate portrait exemplifies Phillips' mastery as a itinerant folk painter working in rural New York and Connecticut during the early 19th century. , often called the "Border Limner," belonged to the naive folk art tradition, characterized by flattened forms, bold patterns, and direct gaz...
About the Artist
Ammi Phillips · 1788–1865
Comment on works: painter