Artist:Shackleford, William S., 1815-1878, painter. (attributed to)
Date Created:ca. 1829-1830
Owner/Location:Private Collection
Image Dimensions:30 x 25 in.
Materials/Media:Oil on canvas
Date Documented:28 May 2012
Condition:Excellent
Description:Bust length likeness of subject with her torso facing slightly left and her eyes turned to look directly at the viewer. Her hair is dark and is parted in the middle with a curl in front of her visible right ear. She is wearing a dark dress with a white lace collar and white visible at the bust, ornamented by a brooch and green ribbon; and there is a red drape and tassel in the background to her left, hanging in front of a likeness of a column and mirroring the background of her husband's portrait.
History:The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide. Repository: Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012 Control Number: IAP 9E230008 Current owner acquired from Michael Hall Antiques, Nashville, Tennessee
Notes:Mary Morgan Chilton (Mrs. William Parish Chilton), a native of Athens, Tennessee, was the sister of U.S. Senator John Tyler Morgan from Alabama. It is thought that her portrait and that of Hon. Chilton were "marriage portraits," painted within the year of their marriage, and before they later moved from Athens, Tennessee to Talladega, Alabama.
