Full Length Portrait of a Young Girl Wearing a Blue Dress and Red Coral Necklace

Artist unidentified

American, probably New England or New York State

Ca. 1820-1840.

Oil on canvas laid down on board

30 3/8″ x 25 1/4″

Condition: Very minor restoration, painting is mounted in a contemporary frame.

This very charming full-length portrait of a young girl is posed in front of what appears to be the Bay of Naples with Mt. Vesuvius in the background. This rare depiction of a foreign landscape does not often appear in American Folk Portraiture. It may suggest that the sitter comes from a family of merchants who sailed and traded with the Italians. It perhaps could also be symbolic to the family’s heritage. Regardless, the artist has captured a sense of spirit in the sitter as well as giving us a glimpse of the family’s status and wealth.