Emeline Conover Story

Periodca, 1816 - 1820

MediumPastel on paper

Dimensions14 × 12.3 in. (35.6 × 31.2 cm)

ClassificationsPortraits

Credit LineGift of Mrs. William S. Holmes, 1955

Object number1983.612

DescriptionThree-quarter length portrait of a young female facing right, wearing a white double ruffle collar over a coral pink dress wtih a high waist, bow in front, and long sleeves with full shoulders and gathered wrists into a double ruffle. Her light hair is worn pulled tightly away from her forehead and arranged in a bun or coil near the top of her head with a flat comb or headband across the crown. The subject's accessories include a coral beaded necklace with a rectangular gold clasp, and small gold hoop earrings with a tiny pendant coral bead. Her left arm supports her right hand, in which she is holding a green-covered book. Mounted on wood stretchers and lined with an unidentified central New Jersey newspaper sheet that contains several advertisements dated 17 January, 26 January, and 1 February 1816.
Curatorial RemarksThis portrait of Emeline Conover is the smallest known portrait created by Micah Williams. The image is not as finished in appearance as many of Williams’ other works and it gives an astonishing quality of immediacy. One senses the artist’s hand moving over the paper, quickly sketching in the folds and gathers of the little girl’s dress. Original accession records noted Emeline’s age in the portrait as sixteen. However, it is clear that the sitter was between six and eight years old when she posed for Williams. In addition to the portrait, the Association owns other objects related to Emeline Conover Story. These include two samplers dated 1822, a manuscript school exercise from Cranbury Academy dated 1822, and two tortoise shell combs that belonged to her.NotesEmeline Conover was born on 11 November 1810, in Cranbury, Middlesex County, New Jersey, to William W. Conover (1783-1837) and Catherine Mount (1787-1852). She was baptized on 20 January 1811 at the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury, and later attended the Cranbury Academy as a young girl. While at the Academy, Emeline completed a charming penmanship exercise dated 17 August 1822. She also finished two samplers, a small "practice" alphabet sampler (accession number 1986.564) and a larger verse sampler (accession number 2084.4). On 19 April 1831, Emeline married John B. Story (1809-1886) and moved to Middletown, Monmouth County. On 7 June 1845, she gave birth to her seventh and last child, whom she named after herself. Emeline died only fifteen days after giving birth, almost certainly from complications during or after the birth. The baby followed her mother to the grave twenty-three days later.

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