Rachel Bartholomew Davis
James Alexander Simpson
ca. 1815
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Allen Little
Accession Number
1976.32.1
Tags
waist length
About this artwork
James Alexander Simpson taught art classes at Georgetown College and created portraits of the Washington elite. He made this portrait of Rachel Bartholomew Davis in the same year that he painted her husband, Thomas Davis, possibly on the occasion of their marriage. Rachelâs pose mirrors her husbandâs, and Simpson painted the two figures so that their paintings might be hung facing one another. Rachelâs curls and rosy cheeks emphasize her youth and innocence as she enters into married l...