Catherine Holmes Stoutenborough

Periodca. 1821

MediumPastel on paper

Dimensions26 × 21.8 in. (66 × 55.4 cm)

ClassificationsPortraits

Credit LineGift of Franklin J. Gronde in memory of his wife Katherine Holmes Gronde, 1965

Object number1984.526.2

DescriptionThree-quarter length portrait of a older female facing right, with dark blue eyes, dark brown hair parted in the center, and a small mole on her chin. She wears a black dress, a plain white kerchief high up on her neck that is crossed in front and tucked into the square neckline of her dress, and a sheer black shawl of fine net lace draped over her shoulders. It shows a pattern of five-petaled flowers in an alternating and offset pattern. She also wears an elaborate day cap of sheet white mull with a puffed crown and a spotted double ruffle around the face, surmounted by a single large bow at the center front. The subject's left hand supports her right arm. She holds a fan opened only one fold in her right hand. The plain background is a single color of grayish brown. Mounted on wood stretchers, and lined with a newspaper sheet from the New York Evening Post dated 17 January 1821.
Curatorial RemarksThese portraits of Monmouth County farmer John Stoutenborough and his wife Catherine capture the dignity, simplicity, and poise of the older couple. Micah Williams produced a number of related Stoutenborough likenesses including John’s and Catherine’s daughter Margaret Stoutenborough Hubbard and their granddaughter Rebecca Hubbard. Williams depicted fifty-six year old Catherine with the sensitivity he brought to all his portraits of older females. He included the lines at the corners of her eyes, the grooves on either side of her nose, and even a wart on her chin, without exaggerating or focusing on these elements. Catherine wore a black dress with a white kerchief tucked into the bodice. She draped a sheer black shawl over her shoulders. Catherine’s cap was elaborate, with ruffles, a bow, and embroidered panels. She chose to hold a lovely painted fan in her right hand.NotesCatherine Holmes (1765 - 1838) was a daughter of Daniel Holmes (1721 - 1813) and Leah Bowne (1736 - 1813) of Holmdel, Monmouth County. In 1785, she married John Stoutenborough (1754 - 1839) at Old Brick Reformed Church in Marlboro. They became the parents of eight children. The family settled on a farm in Shrewsbury. Catherine Stoutenborough died a year before her husband.

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