Mrs. Samuel Prescott Hildreth and Harriet Eliza Hildreth

This portrait is of Mrs. Samuel Prescott Hildreth (1785-1868), wife of Dr. Samuel Hildreth, an early patron of Sala Bosworth's. Mrs. Hildreth is seen here holding her sixth child, Harriet Eliza (1826-1895). The double portrait has a charm and sense of ease. While exhibiting some of the folk-art tendencies of his earlier period, the portrait also reveals Bosworth's academic training. The depiction of Mrs. Hildreth gives her a dignity and compassion that is classically associated with motherhood; while young Harriet has an innocence and charm instantly recognizable as childlike.