Name/Title
Mary Purnell DonelsonEntry/Object ID
Donelson, Mary PurnellDescription
Black and white copy of an older woman dressed in a white bonnet with ruffles around her face. The bonnet also has a dark ribbon encircling it. Her cheeks are hollowed and the flesh around her mouth has contracted to suggest that some of her teeth are missing, although this cannot be confirmed. Her right hand, the only one visible, rests across the front of her body, dressed in black.Photograph Details
Subject Person or Organization
Mary Purnell Donelson, 1763-1848Collection
Private CollectionMade/Created
Artist
William Brown Cooper (1811-1900)Notes
Original most likely painted between 1840-1848General Notes
Note Type
Historical NoteNote
The subject came to Middle Tennessee as a newlywed on the boat Adventure with her husband Capt. John Donelson III (see portrait #758). From the Nashville Whig, December 2, 1848: Mary Purnell Donelson died November 16, 1848 at age 85. She was born May 18, 1763 at Snow Hill, Maryland.Create Date
June 14, 2026Update Date
June 14, 2026