FLORENCE JAFFRAY WOODRIFF

Art

Historic Hudson Valley

Name/Title

FLORENCE JAFFRAY WOODRIFF

Entry/Object ID

SS.99.3 a-c

Description

a. Framed watercolor portrait of a little girl on top of a staircase holding a straw hat: the girl is leaning on a white stone post which has a vine of flowers on it; she wears a brick red jacket with red and white striped edging and a white skirt; she has a piece of white lace edging poking from under the skirt; her shoes are black and brown; her stockings are white; she holds in her left hand a large straw hat with brown band, which forms a large bow; her hair is parted in the middle and curled in ringlets on the sides; there are bluish-green trees in the background. In pencil on the back of the picture: "10854 14/4 col J M Gase" In pencil inside the case: "14" In pencil on the backing of the case liner: "Florence Jaffray (Mrs. J.R.P.W.) This picture made for Washington Irving" b. Frame: A sheet copper rectangular frame with embossed decoration of flower garlands. c. Case: Wooden case covered with stamped brown leather and lined with brown velvet. Has a lock on the right side.

Artwork Details

Medium

Watercolor, Paper, Copper, Leather, Wood, Velvet, metal unspecified, Watercolor, paper, copper, leather, wood, velvet, metal unspecified

Subject Person or Organization

Florence Jaffray (1851-1930)

Collection

Sunnyside Object Collection

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Unknown

Attribution

Artist

Date made

circa 1858

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription

Transcription

See description

Other Names and Numbers

Other Numbers

SS.99.3 A-C

SS.99.3

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Case (closed)

Height

9-1/8 in

Width

7-3/8 in

Depth

1-1/8 in

Dimension Notes

Display Dimensions: 9 1/8 x 7 3/8 x 1 1/8 in. (23.2 x 18.7 x 2.9 cm)

Dimension Description

Frame

Height

8-3/4 in

Width

6-1/2 in

Depth

3/8 in

Dimension Notes

Display Dimensions: 8 3/4 x 6 1/2 x 3/8 in. (22.2 x 16.5 x 1 cm)

Condition

Notes

Remarks: Details of condition: Picture - some foxing, stains and scratches. The back is yellowed. Frame - darkened, worn and bent. Leather case - worn, stains, scratches, loss of gilt; basically falling apart. The cover is separate.

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Washington Irving (1783-1859), Florence Jaffray (1851-1930)

Notes

Former owner

Person or Organization

Florence Jaffray Woodriff

Notes

Subject

General Notes

Note Type

Curatorial Remarks

Note

Young Miss Florence Jaffray, daughter of Washington Irving's neighbors at Sunnyside, was a special friend of the author. Although he had no children of his own, he doted upon his nieces, nephews and other young people in his circle, often writing charming humorous letters to entertain them. It was to Florence Jaffray that Irving dedicated his "Lay of the Sunnyside Ducks." In the poem, the author champions the birds threatened by Florence's father's un-neighborly attempt to dam the creek upstream from Sunnyside. This portait minature bears the inscription: "This picture made for Washington Irving." Regarding Willowbrook, the estate owned by the Jaffray family: Adjacent to Washington Irving’s Sunnyside east border, includes foundations of several buildings, such as the ruins of the greenhouse/gardener’s cottage. The estate is one of the oldest in the area, dating back to the first house built there in 1815. The house was doubled in size by former New York City Mayor Ambrose C. Kingsland, who later built a mansion at what is now Kingsland Point Park in Sleepy Hollow. A later owner was Edward S. Jaffray. Wholesale dry-goods house, E. S. Jaffray and Co. of New York [was the] drygood store owned and operated by Edward Somerville Jaffray located at 350 Broadway, in NYC between about 1855 and 1900. It was Jaffray who tried to dam the Sunnyside Brook for his own plumbing system, much to the consternation of Washington Irving and a flock of ducks who lived in his pond. The house was most likely razed in the 1960s/1970s. There is a bridge across Sunnyside Brook and steps leading up to the Willowbrook estate. Sunnyside Brook runs adjacent to West Sunnyside Lane and marks the Tarrytown/Irvington Boundary. Irvingtonians were upset when Tarrytown incorporated the South End, stealing Sunnyside away from them. Many postcards and photographs, even in the early 1900s, erroneously labeled Sunnyside or nearby Lyndhurst as being in Irvington.

Note Type

StorageNote

Note

Home Location: Historic Hudson Valley, Union Church, Storage, Shelf 13D

Note Type

Department

Note

Curatorial