Ann Vandervoort Rapalye Van Mater

Periodca. 1820 - 1821

MediumPastel on paper

Dimensions25 × 21 in. (63.5 × 53.3 cm)

ClassificationsPortraits

Credit LineBequest of Henry W. Disbrow, 1936

Object number1984.525.2

DescriptionThree-quarter length portrait of an elderly, thin-faced female, with dark blue eyes and graying dark brown hair worn parted in the center. She wears a black dress with long sleeves ending in ruffles, a heavy white kerchief high on her neck, a black net lace shawl with an alternating offset starburst pattern and floral or pineapple sprays as borders, and a white cap of fine mull or batiste with a puffed crown and narrow plain border with tiny scalloped edges that tied under her chin. The subject also wears a choker style necklace with a rectangular gold clasp in the center. Her right hand supports her left arm, and in her left hand she holds a blue leather bound book. Bright yellow draperies swag above the sitter's head, while vertical brown stripes on either side of the sitter create molding or window effect. The space within the window is a medium soft gray. Wall spaces on either side of the window appear as mottled blue-green. Mounted on wooden stretchers and lined with newspaper sheets apparently from the Trenton Federalist, one of which is dated after 21 July 1821, and the other after 16 December 1821.
Curatorial RemarksMicah Williams, like other itinerant artists, offered his patrons a choice of backgrounds for their portraits. Husband and wife Gilbert and Ann Van Mater decided upon elegant drapery swags for their portraits. The artist produced numerous Van Mater family likenesses in addition to those of Gilbert and Ann, including two of Gilbert’s sisters, a brother-in-law, two married daughters, and a cousin. Gilbert’s and Ann’s costumes of sober black and white contrasted vividly against the rich yellow and orange of their backgrounds. Both portraits are examples of Micah Williams’ excellent Monmouth County portraiture. It is Ann’s portrait in which Williams achieved some of his most brilliant work. The older woman’s lined and aged face was handled with great sensitivity. The level of detail in this particular portrait is exceptional. Williams even included tiny corneal blood vessels in the corner of Ann’s eyes, noticeable only upon very close inspection. The artist depicted the black on black combination of Ann’s black lace shawl over her black silk dress with confidence and success.NotesFor many years, this portrait was misidentified as Gilbert Van Mater's first wife Margaret Sprague (1763 - 1798) of Long Island, whom he had married in 1783. It actually depicts Van Mater's second wife, Ann Vandervoort Rapalye (1769 - 1857), a Long Island widow whom he married in 1808. She brought two step-children to the marriage. Then Gilbert and Ann had a daughter together.

Collections