Artist’s Wife and Child 

Benjamin West created this graphite drawing titled, "Artist's Wife and Child," but its exact date remains unknown. West was one of the most famous painters of his generation, so it is interesting to see him shift his attention to a domestic scene of his wife and child. The drawing is divided into a series of separate scenes, vignettes which capture the life of a woman and child. The emphasis on the wife and child evokes a sense of sentimentalism, typical of the period, while the circular format and the interior setting domesticate the aesthetic experience, softening it. West has situated his wife as the center of his world, showing how her space is circumscribed by domesticity and motherhood. We see her both tending to the child and seated in her private space. The inclusion of the outdoor scene in the distance is perhaps included to subtly suggest the limits of her freedom. It is this tension that speaks to the complex dynamic of domestic life and motherhood.