Painted Silk Mourning Picture
Schoolgirl artwork
circa 1815 (Date manufactured/created)
Watercolor on silk
Silk, paint
28 1/2" H
X
31 7/8" W
Measurement Notes: Framed: 28 1/2” H x 31 7/8” W
24" H X 27 1/2" W Measurement Notes: Stretcher size: 24" H x 27 1/2" W
24" H X 27 1/2" W Measurement Notes: Stretcher size: 24" H x 27 1/2" W
Painted Silk Mourning Picture, ca. 1815. This mourning scene was painted by a Fairfield teenager, Sarah Turney, as part of her formal education, the equivalent of a present-day "senior project." She probably attended Sarah Pierce's prestigious academy in Litchfield, Connecticut, because seven other very similar pictures have been linked to that school. Commemorative mourning scenes, usually embroidered with silk threads, were a popular type of decorative art in the late 18th centuries.
The inscriptions on the gravestones in this painted silk picture commemorate Sarah Turney’s three grandparents and a brother: her brother Stephen Turney died Oct. 14, 1787 at age 1; her grandmother Hannah Staples died June 24 1801 at age 61; her grandfather Stephen Turney died Jan. 24, 1786, age 69; and her grandmother Sarah Turney died June 4, 1768, age about 56. According to the tag found with the picture: “the figures are probably Sarah herself, sorrowing at the top of the picture, her mother and father Mr. & Mrs. Aaron Turney at center, and her four brothers.” The mourning picture as been exhibited in several museums throughout the country and included in the book, "A Time to Mourn".
The inscriptions on the gravestones in this painted silk picture commemorate Sarah Turney’s three grandparents and a brother: her brother Stephen Turney died Oct. 14, 1787 at age 1; her grandmother Hannah Staples died June 24 1801 at age 61; her grandfather Stephen Turney died Jan. 24, 1786, age 69; and her grandmother Sarah Turney died June 4, 1768, age about 56. According to the tag found with the picture: “the figures are probably Sarah herself, sorrowing at the top of the picture, her mother and father Mr. & Mrs. Aaron Turney at center, and her four brothers.” The mourning picture as been exhibited in several museums throughout the country and included in the book, "A Time to Mourn".
Gift of Richard Trubee Staples
1976.93