English
Molly Wales Fobes
Born in Massachusetts, Hathaway worked as an itinerant portrait painter before pursuing a career in medicine. "Lady with Her Pets" is his earliest known work and depicts Molly Wales Fobes of Raynham, Massachusetts. Fashionably dressed, Molly sits in a Chippendale-style chair surrounded by a fantastical array of “pets,” which were likely included as emblems of her beauty, loyalty, and affection. They may also reference her family’s interest in natural history, as her father was a professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy. The flowers decorating her fan and bodice, combined with her French-inspired hairstyle, identify Molly as a refined and worldly woman.
Artwork Details
- Title: Molly Wales Fobes
- Artist: Rufus Hathaway (1770–1822)
- Date: 1790
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 34 1/4 x 32 in. (86.6 x 81.3 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1963
- Object Number: 63.201.1
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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