Portrait of a Woman and Baby

Silas Eastham

National Gallery of Art

The image shows a woman and an infant, both visible from the waist up. The woman is seated, holding the infant in her lap, and both are looking slightly off to the side. The woman has shoulder-length dark, curly hair that is parted in the middle. She wears a dark dress with a white collar, a brooch at the center, and a watch chain pinned at her shoulder. She also wears earrings and a bracelet. The infant is dressed in a white christening gown with lace patterns and a bonnet. The child looks cozy in the woman's arms. The background is plain and dark to highlight the subjects. The image is in an ornate frame with a gold-tone inner edge and a velvet-lined border, typical of 19th-century portrait displays.