Portrait of a Man and Woman

Marcus Aurelius Root, Samuel Root

National Gallery of Art

The image depicts a seated man and woman from the waist up. The man is on the left, sitting upright with one arm around the woman and the other holding an object or piece of paper. He has dark, combed-back hair, a broad face with a small smile, and wears a dark suit with a buttoned jacket and waistcoat, as well as a white dress shirt with a high collar. The woman, seated on the right, leans slightly toward the man, has a serious expression, and wears a white bonnet over darker hair, a dark shawl over her shoulders, and a lighter garment underneath. She holds a fan or similar object. The background is plain and dark, emphasizing the couple in a framed portrait typical of the period, enclosed in a rectangular frame with an oval cut-out. A gold mat surrounds the photograph within a maroon border.