Currently not on view
The Determined Widow Mrs. Croad and her only Daughter,
1806
John Downman, 1750–1824; born Ruabon, Wales; died Wrexham, Wales; active London and Chester, England
2015-17
Downman’s fashionable portraits are exceptionally vivid and accurate records of upper-class family life in Georgian England. This monumental mixed-media drawing shows Ann Croad in elegant mourning attire, her arm around her only child, who shows off her sketchbook, signifying the important role that drawing played in the education of young ladies. Mrs. Croad was called the Determined Widow due to her resolution to carry on her husband’s construction business after his death in 1800, when she was only twenty-three. The Greek inscription on the funerary urn—oket esti (he is no more)—both refers to the departed husband and adds an air of classical refinement to the scene. The coastline behind the sitters represents Plymouth, a thriving port town which provided Downman with an upscale clientele.
More About This Object
Information
Title
The Determined Widow Mrs. Croad and her only Daughter
Dates
1806
Maker
Medium
Watercolor, colored chalks and stump over graphite, heightened with white gouache
Dimensions
88.2 x 66 cm (34 3/4 x 26 in.)
frame: 116.8 x 94 x 9.5 cm (46 x 37 x 3 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Surdna Fund
Object Number
2015-17
Place Depicted
United States, Massachusetts, Plymouth
Signatures
Signed and dated, lower right: Jo Downman | 1806
Culture
Type
Materials
Techniques
Subject
Unknown prior to auction, Thomson Roddick & Metcalf, Carlisle (Cumbria), October 24, 2013, lot 137 (as Georgian School, Lady and her Daughter in a Tented Arbor).;
