At the Writing Table

American 18th Century

National Gallery of Art

This painting depicts a person seated at a wooden table. Their torso and arms are visible as they lean forward, with one arm resting on a piece of paper and the other dipping a feather quill into an inkwell. The person has pale skin, a long nose, arched eyebrows, small red lips, and short dark hair. They are wearing a blue coat over a light-colored shirt with thin, vertical red-and-black stripes. Also on the wooden table are a small knife and a large brown book with a black top hat resting on it. In front of the table, a small boy and a girl are playing on the patterned floor. They are each holding the ends of a long string that has a white bird perched on it. Both children have pale skin and brown hair, and the boy on the left wears a blue coat and trousers while the girl on the right wears a red dress. The background is a light blue wall with a window on the left side. The wall and floor seem to be slightly curved. Elaborate orange-and-pink decorative scrollwork frames the scene along the top and sides against a black background.