Mrs. Samuel Denman (Anna Maria Hampton) 1777 - 1807

Edward Greene Malbone painted this delicate watercolor on ivory portrait of Anna Maria Hampton, Mrs. Samuel Denman, sometime around the turn of the 19th century. Malbone, considered one of the leading American miniaturists, captured the likeness of elite members of society. These small portraits were deeply personal objects, often worn as jewelry or kept close. Mrs. Denman's serene expression speaks to the refined ideals of femininity in the early Republic. Yet, it also hints at the constraints placed upon women of her status, expected to embody virtue and domesticity. As a woman, her identity was largely defined by her relationship to men—first her father, then her husband. The portrait, then, becomes a complex symbol of both privilege and confinement. It invites us to reflect on the narratives that are included and excluded from the historical record, and the emotional lives of individuals within those constraints.