After Reynolds; Mother and Three Children; Draped Figure Studies (from Sketchbook) 1810 - 1820

Thomas Sully created this pen and ink wash drawing, "After Reynolds; Mother and Three Children; Draped Figure Studies (from Sketchbook)," as an homage to the celebrated English portraitist, Sir Joshua Reynolds. Sully, working in the United States during the 19th century, looked to Reynolds as a model for his own artistic aspirations. However, while Reynolds catered to the British aristocracy, Sully sought to capture the spirit of a burgeoning American identity, one steeped in the ideals of republicanism and domesticity. Here, Sully’s loose, gestural lines give us not a finished portrait, but rather, an intimate glimpse into the artist's process, where the mother and children take on a universal quality, seemingly removed from any specific social class. Sully seems to be asking what the image of motherhood and childhood means in the context of a new nation defining itself. How is the idea of family being reshaped? With its unfinished quality, this piece invites us to reflect on the evolving narratives of identity and representation in a changing world.