Label
Warren Family, circa 1843
Artist unknown
Oil on canvas, circa 1843
Gift of Mary Jennie Warren Burnham, #1952.41.1
Alvina and Lester Warren, with their daughter Elsie, sat for their portrait in about 1843. In 1844 the family, including a new baby, moved to Calais, where Lester Warren became the Universalist minister for the next twenty-three years at the Old West Church.
Luxuries like a painting were becoming affordable to an established middle class. The portrait was a symbol of the Warrens’ taste and refinement. An added detail that makes this painting stand out is the faux painted finish on the frame that simulates bird’s-eye maple. Faux (fake) painting was a popular technique during the mid-nineteenth century, used to mimic more expensive materials. As in many portraits from this era, the artist included details that would give the viewer information about the sitters, most likely at the Warrens’ request. Can you see the chain Mrs. Warren is wearing and what it is attached to in her pocket?