Matilda Davis Williams
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “Matilda Davis Williams” now? Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 1A, Washington, D.C. Yes, on view now. Checked September 25, 2026.
Washington, D.C., United States
RoomLuce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 1A
Open now· until 7:00 PM
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Matilda Davis was the daughter of Caleb Davis, an important Boston merchant and shipowner and Speaker in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She married Jeremiah Williams in 1787, just three years before she died at the age of twenty-two, and in this image she wears a miniature portrait of her husband. Christian Gullager created this portrait posthumously, probably from an existing painting of the young woman. He played with different textures in the detailed image, from the delicate lace of the sitter's bodice to her smooth, pale skin and shiny satin bow. Matilda appears ill at ease, as though she felt self-conscious in the elaborate gown and headdress she wore for the occasion.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Details
- Accession number
- 1977.101.2
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Image: Smithsonian American Art Museum — CC0
