History:Portrait is a bust view with the subject turned 45 degrees to her right. The subject is an older woman, wearing a black dress, a white cap with a shoulder length veil on her head. The artist's signature is at the lower left. The painting surface is slightly cupped. It is mounted in a gold colored frame with a matching insert with an oval opening.
Notes:Sarah Childress Polk (1803-1891) was the daughter of Captain Joel and Elizabeth Childress. She was educated at the Moravian Seminary in Salem, NC and married James Knox Polk at the age of 19. She lived at Polk Place in Nashville for 40 years after the death of President Polk. She remained active in religion and social affairs of the community. She was one of the first women to be elected as an honorary member of the TN Historical Society.
