Figure 1.--Here we have a portrait of an boy painted by Rosina Emmet Sherwood. We believe that he is an American boy, but we are not sure. Unfortunately it has been damaged by foxing. Click on the image for an enlargement.

Artist

Rosina Emmet Sherwood was a recognized artist and illustrator from the late 19th to the early 20th century. Rosina Emmet grew up at Woodland House in upstate New York. The Emmet family was well-to-do and artistically inclined. Other artists in the family were Lydia Field Emmet and Ellen Emmet Rand. Her mother, Julia Pierson Emmet, presumably gave her art lessons as a girl. The family traveled to Europe (1876-77). Upon returning to Americas, she began formal art lessons. She worked in several mediums. Rosina became one of the first students accepted by William Merritt Chase's at his Tenth Street Studio in New York City. Some of Miss Emmet's first work was illustrations and a number were published in Harper's. She was also an accomplished card designer, working for Louis Prang and Company. She made a trip west and painted the Rocky Mountains (1881). Miss Emmet returned to Europe (1884) and studied further with Tony Robert-Fleury at the Academie Julian. She returned to New York City and married Arthur Sherwood (1887). The couple had five children. Her best knoewn child was Robert Emmet Sherwood, the toungest. Robert persued a literary career, becoming a prize-winning playwright. Despite the demands of motherhood, Mrs. Sherwood did not lose interest in art. She continued to paint. Perhsaps her favorite sunject was her burgeoning family. One of her bestknown pieces at this time was "Family at Christmas" including the entire family. Her most important commission was a mural in the Woman's Building at the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago--a major event in America. . Her work was an allegiry, "The Republic's Welcomer to her Daughters". Mrs Sherwood took a trip around the world (1922). The portrait here was made at that time, thus we do not know if he was an American boy or painted during the trip. Most of the work she did on the trip were landscpes.

Portrait

Here we have a pastel of a boy wearing a short pants white sailor suit painted in 1922. Unfortunately we know nothing about the boy. We would guess he was about 10 years old. He wears a traditionally styled white, summer sailor suit. We had assumed that he was an American boy, but we note that Mrs. Sherwood made a trip around the world in 1922. >br>

Sources

Heller, Jules and Nancy. North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century