Memorial Picture

This sensitive, finely worked memorial commemorates eighteen-year-old Daniel Goodman (1785-1803) and was made at the Folwell School, operated by Elizabeth Folwell (1772-1824) and her husband, Samuel Folwell (1763-1813). Active from the 1790s to the 1820s, this renowned Philadelphia boarding school benefited from Samuel’s artistry as an engraver and miniature painter. He designed and outlined the large needlework compositions that female students embroidered under Elizabeth’s instruction, and then painted the inscriptions, faces, sky and other small details to complete the scene. The picture is not in its original frame; it once likely had a rectangular reverse painted glass matte around the picture, and a gilded frame.

Although unsigned, Daniel’s sister, Mary Goodman (1789-1812) probably embroidered her brother’s memorial. The central monument is surmounted by a neoclassical urn and the inked inscription on the monument was copied from the notice of Daniel’s death that appeared in several contemporary Philadelphia newspapers. It is shaded by a weeping willow, emblem of mourning and resurrection. A winged cherub--symbol of love and heavenly ascent--hovers above the tomb. The three evergreen trees signify hope. The mourning figures are meant to portray Daniel’s mother, Phebe (1764-1814), and his siblings; and the church in the background likely represents Philadelphia’s Second Presbyterian Church, with which the Goodman family was affiliated.