Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason
c. 1803–5
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
unframed: 73.8 × 61 cm · framed: 90 × 78 × 8 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
American Painting and Sculpture
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift from J. H. Wade
Accession Number
1921.428
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
The sitter’s high-waisted dress, pearl necklace, and elegant hairstyle of cascading ringlets reflect the height of fashion around 1800. Her gaze is assured: her chin is tilted upward but her eyes peer down with confidence. Mason’s husband was a prosperous lawyer, an influential figure in President Thomas Jefferson’s administration, and a plantation owner in Maryland. According to an inventory from 1807, the couple enslaved approximately 185 people, ranging from the newborn Abraham to 79-year-old...