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Brother and Sister (Mary and Gerald Thayer)

Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery

Object Details

Artist
Abbott Handerson Thayer, born Boston, MA 1849-died Dublin, NH 1921
Sitter
Mary Thayer
Gerald Thayer
Gerald Thayer
Mary Thayer
Luce Center Label
This work portrays Abbott Thayer's children one year after their mother's hospitalization for "melancholia," or severe depression. Kate Thayer became physically ill while hospitalized, and Thayer wrote to a friend that her physical deterioration would not be so horrible "were her soul visible" (Anderson, Abbott Handerson Thayer, 1982). Thayer captured the sadness and worry of this difficult period in Mary's heavy-lidded, watery eyes and in Gerald’s searching expression. They look like a modern-day Madonna and Child. Their mother would live for two more years, but in this portrait it is as if Mary has already taken on her mother's role in the family. After Kate died, Thayer clung to his children as an emotional anchor, and he often depicted them as sacred figures.
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly
1889
Object number
1929.6.114
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Painting
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
36 1/4 x 28 1/4 in. (92 x 71.9 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Painting and Sculpture
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Children
Portrait female\child
Portrait group\family\siblings
Portrait male\knee length
Portrait male\child
Portrait female\waist length
Record ID
saam_1929.6.114
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk76e8092d2-7ec3-4f1a-beb2-e59241e7d9bd
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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