The Children of Nathan Starr

1835
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 736
During a period of high child mortality rates, posthumous portraiture played a pivotal role in capturing the likenesses of lost loved ones. Andrews painted this memorial portrait of the children of Nathan Starr shortly after the death of the youngest son, Edward, who appears at center holding a gaming stick aimed at a flight of white birds in the distance. Depicted in the family’s home in Middletown, Connecticut, the children are bathed in a soft, heavenly light while they play a game of shuttlecock, a precursor to badminton.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Children of Nathan Starr
  • Artist: Ambrose Andrews (American, Stockbridge, Massachusetts 1801–1877 Palmyra, New York)
  • Date: 1835
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 28 3/8 x 36 1/2 in. (72.1 x 92.7 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Nina Howell Starr, in memory of Nathan Comfort Starr (1896–1981), 1987
  • Object Number: 1987.404
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

Audio

Cover Image for 4569. The Children of Nathan Starr

4569. The Children of Nathan Starr

0:00
0:00
We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. Please email info@metmuseum.org to request a transcript for this track.

More Artwork

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.