Mary Ann (Womack) Baldwin
ARTIST: Samuel T. Taylor (1800-1846) was a vernacular artist who worked in the central piedmont of Virginia during the second quarter of the nineteenth century. He lived in Buckingham County but traveled throughout the surrounding area of Appamotox, Campbell, Henrico, Louisa, and Prince Edward counties, painting many of the region’s successful planters and merchants.
RELATED OBJECTS: The MESDA Collection is also home to the companion portrait by Taylor of Baldwin’s husband, Samuel Baldwin (MESDA acc. 5888.1).
FRAME: Original yellow pine frame with black paint.
DESCRIPTION: Portrait of a woman sitting and turned slightly to the left. She is wearing a bonnet with a double row of lace and blue ribbon. Her dark dress has long sleeves and a large, thin lace collar with a pin or clasp. The lady is sitting on an upholstered sofa with brass nails. Her left hand is holding a book labeled “HOLY BIBLE” with thumb between the pages while her right hand rests beneath her arm. A green drapery with gold tassels and fringe, a column, and a window are in the background.
