A Mother's Pearls

Thomas Seir Cummings

1841 · Watercolor on ivory · The American Wing

The artist composed this festoon necklace from portraits of his children, nine ivory ovals linked as a necklace for his wife, Jane Cook (1806-1889). As portrayed, the children range in age from one to sixteen; the firstborn, Charles, died in 1831 and is represented posthumously in the smallest oval at center. The other children are (left to right): Lydia M. (1837-1927), George F. (1835-1910), Henry R. (1829-1873), Thomas A. (1825-1859), Rebecca C. (1827-1859), Jane E. (1831-1903), Charles P. (1833-1879), and Sarah A. (1840-1919). The Cummingses later had five more children.

Artist

Thomas Seir Cummings

Date

1841

Medium

Watercolor on ivory

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Richard B. Hartshorne and Miss Fanny S. Cummings, 1928