American school; c. 1850.

American school; c. 1850.
"Portrait of a girl".
Oil on canvas glued to tablex.
It presents restorations in the pictorial surface.
Measurements: 45 x 35 cm; 51 x 44 cm (frame).
This work encapsulates the most characteristic features of the North American child portrait of the middle of the XIX century: a static and serene pose, the slightly melancholic frontal look and the big and defined eyes that accentuate the intimate character of the composition. His workmanship recalls the sensibility of itinerant painters such as Joseph Whiting Stock, Ammi Phillips or John Brewster Jr. who cultivated a sober and refined style, focused on the dignification of the model through the clarity of the features and the serenity of the gesture.
Beyond its aesthetic value, the painting offers a faithful testimony of the taste of a society in transformation: American families in full social ascent who sought to perpetuate the image of their children as an emblem of prosperity, stability and aspiration.