Description:
Silhouettes were the most expedient and inexpensive form of portraiture available to New Englanders in the early 19th century. Profiles were so cheap, costing about ten cents apiece, that an artist's profit was dependent on making them as quickly as possible. Silhouette of the left profile of Lovina (or Larinda) Burk Smead (1765-1829) wearing a bonnet in a black oval frame. Lovina was the widow of John Burk (1760-1796) of Bernardston, Massachusetts, and became the second wife of Solomon Smead (1754-1825) in 1809. Solomon's first wife, Esther Smith Smead (1757-1808), died of "spotted fever" along with three of their children in their Greenfield neighborhood in 1808; only 2 of their 14 children survived to adulthood, including Sophia Smead (1784-1843) who married Robert Wheeler (1777-1863). The had five children, including Sophia Wheeler (1821-1840). HD has a sampler (HD 2000.4.1) made by Sophia Smead, a miniature of Sophia (HD 70.132), her wedding dress (HD V.053B), and a christening gown (HD V.053a) probably made by Sophia Smead Wheeler; a sampler (HD 2004.4.2) made by Sophia's daughter, Sophia Wheeler; and pair of lace sleeves (HD V.53C) from the same family but without any provenance. The donor is a descendent of Asa Stebbins (1800-1864) of Deerfield through Asa's son, Francis Ward Stebbins (b.1829) and Ellen Wells Stebbins (d.1872); to Francis' son, Roland Stebbins (b.1853) who married Florence Rebecca Barney (1856-1902) of Greenfield in 1879; to Roland's daughter, Ellen Wells Stebbins (1883-1980) who married Lloyd Herbert Lipp (d.1965) in Billings, Montana, in 1905. Other Smead belongings were been passed on to Ellen Wells Stebbins Lipp's granddaughter, Karen L. Dunn. Ms. Dunn also found a note (in data file) written in ink in the family Bible referring to another sampler: "Sampler / Made by Abigail Smead [1787-1808] daughter of Solomon Smead of Greenfield Mass. in the 10th year of her age in 1797. She died in Jan. 1805 of spotted fever aged 18 years. The initials of A.P. stand for Abigail Smead. C. S. for Clarissa Smead [1782-1855]. S.S for Sophia Smead. P. S. for Polly Smead [1791-1807]. S.S. for her father Solomon Smead and E. S. for her mother Esther Smead. / Harriet E. Barney / Denver Col. Feb. 5th 1804" and written "Ellen Wells Stebbins" in pencil on the back.
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+70.133 |
