Portrait of a Lady (Possibly of the Buloid Family)

Art Historical Context

This elegant portrait, painted in 1832 by the American artists Samuel Lovett Waldo and William Jewett, captures a woman possibly connected to the Buloid family. Created in oil on wood, the work exemplifies the collaborative partnership between Waldo and Jewett, who together produced many formal likenesses during the early nineteenth century. Measuring just over three feet tall, the panel’s compact scale suited it for intimate domestic display, a common practice for family portraits of the period. As part of the Metropolitan Museum’s American Wing, the painting reflects the growing importance of portraiture in the young United States. Such works served both to record individual identity and to convey social standing, with sitters often choosing durable supports like wood to ensure their images endured. The tags highlighting “Women” underscore how these commissions frequently centered female family members, preserving their presence within the historical record. Bequeathed to the museum in 1929 by Elizabeth H. J. Cowdrey, the portrait continues to offer visitors a window into early American life and the artistic conventions that shaped it. Its warm palette and composed pose invite viewers to appreciate the quiet dignity these artists brought to their subjects.

About the Artist

Samuel Lovett Waldo|William Jewett · 1783–1861

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