Residence of Washington's Mother at Fredericksburg, Virginia
Date1833
Artist
John Gadsby Chapman
(American, 1808 - 1889)
DimensionsOverall (Framed): 24 1/4 in. × 31 7/8 in. × 1 3/4 in. (61.6 cm × 80.96 cm × 4.45 cm)
Credit LineAcquired through the generosity of Lucy S. Rhame and an anonymous donor, 2017
Conservation courtesy of The Founders, Washington Committee Endowment Fund
Object numberH-5538/A-B
DescriptionPainting: A horizontal, rectangular street view looking across Charles Street to Mary Ball Washington’s house in Fredericksburg with an ox cart as the focal point in the foreground. Three houses are on the street: the Mary Ball Washington house, the two part house with two story main section and single story addition at the center of the composition; a single story house to the left; and a gambrel roof structure on the right. Various types of picket fences enclose the yards of each of the houses, and trees grow in yards of the Washington and single story houses. The cart is pulled by two oxen, one brown and the other gray. The street is packed soil and wheel marks are visible. A rider on horseback is visible in the background at right. Inscribed on back of canvas: “RESIDENCE OF WASHINGTON’S MOTHER IN FREDERICKSBURG VA, drawn on the spot by J. G. CHAPMAN, 1833.” Inscription covered by lining canvas but copied in ink on back of lining canvas and preserved on a jelly label glued to stretcher.
Frame: Original gilded frame with flat stepped profile in the Greek Revival style. Three steps descend towards the narrow sight edge and the painting. The frame is composed of two parts, a frame and a liner, assembled with mitered joints. The outside edges of the frame are painted yellow/brown.
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c. 1850-1865
c. 1794
