A keen observer of his world, John Brewster, Jr. (1766-1854) captured his sitters with particular grace and sensitivity. The artist’s deafness and muteness may have played a role by heightening his other senses; as noted by David Hockney, “If you can’t hear, you somehow see” (2001). Here, Brewster portrays a woman elegantly dressed and coiffed standing by a window, her hands grounded by holding a basket of roses and resting on the tip of an umbrella. Beautifully framed and balanced, it is a serene composition that conveys the dignity of its subject. The high-waisted dress with crossed fabric in the neckline and delicate sleeves is close to that seen on Brewster’s portrayal of Elizabeth (Pickering) Stone (1775-1834) of Kennebunk, Maine dated between 1798 and 1804 and a related dress is seen on Sarah Prince (1785-1867) of Newburyport, Massachusetts, painted by Brewster in about 1801 (New Hampshire Historical Society, acc. no. 1947.007.12); Yale University Art Gallery, acc. no. 2017.33.1). It is likely that the portrait offered here was painted around the same time and in the same region of southern Maine and northern Massachusetts. The design of the sleeves, gathered at the top near the shoulders and close fitting to the elbow, are most similar to those on an unidentified woman dated to the first decade of the nineteenth century (Fenimore Art Museum, acc. no. NO268.1961, 02).

The landscape of scattered trees with hills in the distance seen on this portrait was favored by Brewster for a number of his works. The portrait of Elizabeth Stone mentioned above features almost the same arrangement of trees, and is similarly framed with a curtain sweeping down from the upper right corner; the same device is seen in Brewster’s portrait of Mary Warren Bryant (Saco Museum). Others with related backgrounds and trees include the example at the Fenimore Art Museum, noted above, and its mate; a double portrait of Brewster’s father and step-mother, Dr. John and Mrs. Ruth Avery Brewster (Old Sturbridge Village); and the standing figure of young Francis O. Watts (1803-1860) with bird in 1805 (Fenimore Art Museum, acc. no. NO265.1961).