The artwork titled “Mrs. James Smith and Grandson” by artist Charles Willson Peale, dated 1776, is an oil painting on canvas. Known for his contribution to the Rococo movement, Peale’s portrait is housed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC, USA. This genre of the artwork is portrait, capturing what can be assumed to be a moment of closeness between a grandmother and her grandson.
The painting depicts an elderly woman seated next to a young boy. The woman, whom we could assume to be Mrs. James Smith, is wearing a traditional dress of the period with a shawl draped over her shoulders and a bonnet atop her head. She has a gentle and composed expression. Her right hand lies softly on the open book that the boy is holding, suggesting she might have been reading to him or discussing its content.
The grandson, seated closely to his grandmother, is dressed in a blue jacket with decorative buttons, and an intricate vest underneath, indicative of the attire worn by the well-to-do during the time. The child’s cheeks are rouged, a common technique in portraiture to convey youth and health, and his expression is calm and serene, his gaze directed slightly away from the viewer, possibly showing attentiveness to his grandmother or the book.
The intimacy of their pose, with the grandmother’s hand guiding the child’s, demonstrates a familial bond and reflects a typical Rococo interest in gentility and domestic virtue. The background is plain and nondescript, focusing the viewer’s attention on the subjects and their interaction without distraction. The warm palette and the soft lighting further accentuate the tender and personal atmosphere of the portrait.
