Portrait of Three Girls

Josiah Johnson Hawes

National Gallery of Art

The image shows three children standing closely together from the waist up. The child in the middle lightly leans on the shoulder of the child to the left. The child on the right appears to be the oldest, with a small smile and medium-length, neatly combed hair. The child on the left has similar hair, parted in the middle and tucked behind their ears. The child in the middle has wavy hair and appears relaxed, resting their head on their folded arms. They are all dressed in detailed garments; the child on the right wears a patterned dress with short, puffed sleeves, while the child in the middle has a dress with dark, zigzag patterns near the collar and sleeves. The child on the left wears a similar dress to the child on the right, paired with a delicate necklace. The background is plain, with a simple frame surrounding the photograph.