Sarah Ogden Gustin

African American Painting of the 19th Century, c. 1805

This painting shows a seated woman depicted from the knees up. She is sitting in a dark reddish-brown chair with a dark green cushion, her body turned slightly to the left, facing the viewer. She has both arms resting on her lap, her left hand holding a small twig with round green leaves and her right hand holding a small book open. She has light skin, dark brown eyes, thin eyebrows, thin pink lips set in a neutral expression, and dark curly hair styled away from her face and adorned with a white headband. She wears a dark red dress with lace detailing around the neckline and the cuffs of the short sleeves. The background features a dark gray wall on the right, with a white window on the left providing a view of an outdoor scene with leafy green trees and a sky that is a gradient of light gray and light blue, with light pink at the horizon.
Artist
African American Painting of the 19th Century
Date
c. 1805
Type
Painting
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
71.1 × 57.2 cm
Collection
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Licence
Public domain, CC0

Image description

This painting shows a seated woman depicted from the knees up. She is sitting in a dark reddish-brown chair with a dark green cushion, her body turned slightly to the left, facing the viewer. She has both arms resting on her lap, her left hand holding a small twig with round green leaves and her right hand holding a small book open. She has light skin, dark brown eyes, thin eyebrows, thin pink lips set in a neutral expression, and dark curly hair styled away from her face and adorned with a white headband. She wears a dark red dress with lace detailing around the neckline and the cuffs of the short sleeves. The background features a dark gray wall on the right, with a white window on the left providing a view of an outdoor scene with leafy green trees and a sky that is a gradient of light gray and light blue, with light pink at the horizon.

African American Painting of the 19th Century