GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The daughter of a captain in the French and Indian Wars, Ann Langdon married Dr. Richard Ayscough, a New York surgeon, in 1755, the probable date of this portrait. Besides the characteristic attention paid to Ann Langdon's fashionable dress, her sweetly placid expression and slanted, almond-shaped eyes are also typical devices of the artist, who accentuated his American subjects' features to conform to London standards of fashion. The basket of flowers Mrs. Ayscough carries is a standard prop that alludes to women's beauty and fertility, while the feathery park setting in the background exemplifies the same type of handling Thomas Gainsborough would make famous in England a decade later.
Born in England, John Wollaston's career in the colonies was wide-ranging. Between 1749 and 1767, he painted over 300 portraits during successful residencies in New York, Philadelphia, Maryland, Virginia, the British West Indies, and Charleston. Known in particular for his facility with rendering materials, Wollaston pleased an appreciative American audience hungry for high-style goods that emulated those of the motherland.
Excerpt from
William Keyse Rudolph, Label text, 2008.
NOTES
c. 1755 (Richard and Ann Ayscough were married in 1755, so it's likely that the portrait was created while Walloston was working in Virginia c. 1755-1757.)
"Although Wollaston had left New York by that time, this portrait was probably painted either during a brief return visit or in Virginia during his residency, as Richard Ayscough had multiple relations there." Making Geography "United States" due to uncertainty
Similar works: portrait of Cornelia Beekman, Mary Walton Morris, Mrs. William Axtell, Mrs. Samuel Gouverneur, Rebecca Bickman Steward Spry, Mary Carroll (Mrs. Ignatius Digges)
There is a portrait of Dr. Richard Ayscough companion piece that was with this portrait until 1955 when the two were separated.
"John Wollaston's arrival in New York in 1749 from London signaled major changes in American art. With William Williams and Joseph Blackburn, Wollaston introduced a new style of portraiture to the colonies. The new look emphasized rich, brightly colored fabrics, sprightly and at times informal poses, and smiling faces. Wollaston was the most productive of the three artists painting more than two hundred portraits during his twelve to eighteen years in the colonies. He introduced composition and techniques that were then fashionable in London, where his training had been with a 'noted drapery painter,' probably Joseph van Aken, the best-paid and busiest London drapery painter in the 1740s." p. 177 Richard H. Saunders and Ellen G. Miles, American Colonial Portraits 1700-1776, Smithsonian Institution Press for the National Portrait Gallery, Washington City?, 1987
No Provenance entered in TMS until resolved.
n.d. Dr. Richard Ayscough, New York; Until d.: Ricky
After 1936: Anne Sands, by inheritance??????????????????????????????????did die then???? 1936-death year?
1936-1955: Mrs. John M. Dickinson (Elizabeth Sands), by inh
1955-2001: private collection
2001-2008: Hirschl & Adler Galleries location
From 2008: Dallas Museum of Art, the Patsy Lacy Griffith Collection, gift of Patsy Lacy Griffith by exchange????????????????:(
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Wollaston, John (British, active in America, 1710-1775): ULAN: 500031152
Cultures
Geography
Depicted location and place of origin: United States (nation): TGN: 7012149
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- John Wollaston, Biography~Learn more about artist John Wollaston at the Worcester Art Museum.
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General Description
The daughter of a captain in the French and Indian Wars, Ann Langdon married Dr. Richard Ayscough, a New York surgeon, in 1755, the probable date of this portrait. Besides the characteristic attention paid to Ann Langdon's fashionable dress, her sweetly placid expression and slanted, almond-shaped eyes are also typical devices of the artist, who accentuated his American subjects' features to conform to London standards of fashion. The basket of flowers Mrs. Ayscough carries is a standard prop that alludes to women's beauty and fertility, while the feathery park setting in the background exemplifies the same type of handling Thomas Gainsborough would make famous in England a decade later.
Born in England, John Wollaston's career in the colonies was wide-ranging. Between 1749 and 1767, he painted over 300 portraits during successful residencies in New York, Philadelphia, Maryland, Virginia, the British West Indies, and Charleston. Known in particular for his facility with rendering materials, Wollaston pleased an appreciative American audience hungry for high-style goods that emulated those of the motherland.
Excerpt from
William Keyse Rudolph, Label text, 2008.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
c. 1755 (Richard and Ann Ayscough were married in 1755, so it's likely that the portrait was created while Walloston was working in Virginia c. 1755-1757.)
"Although Wollaston had left New York by that time, this portrait was probably painted either during a brief return visit or in Virginia during his residency, as Richard Ayscough had multiple relations there." Making Geography "United States" due to uncertainty
Similar works: portrait of Cornelia Beekman, Mary Walton Morris, Mrs. William Axtell, Mrs. Samuel Gouverneur, Rebecca Bickman Steward Spry, Mary Carroll (Mrs. Ignatius Digges)
There is a portrait of Dr. Richard Ayscough companion piece that was with this portrait until 1955 when the two were separated.
"John Wollaston's arrival in New York in 1749 from London signaled major changes in American art. With William Williams and Joseph Blackburn, Wollaston introduced a new style of portraiture to the colonies. The new look emphasized rich, brightly colored fabrics, sprightly and at times informal poses, and smiling faces. Wollaston was the most productive of the three artists painting more than two hundred portraits during his twelve to eighteen years in the colonies. He introduced composition and techniques that were then fashionable in London, where his training had been with a 'noted drapery painter,' probably Joseph van Aken, the best-paid and busiest London drapery painter in the 1740s." p. 177 Richard H. Saunders and Ellen G. Miles, American Colonial Portraits 1700-1776, Smithsonian Institution Press for the National Portrait Gallery, Washington City?, 1987
No Provenance entered in TMS until resolved.
n.d. Dr. Richard Ayscough, New York; Until d.: Ricky
After 1936: Anne Sands, by inheritance??????????????????????????????????did die then???? 1936-death year?
1936-1955: Mrs. John M. Dickinson (Elizabeth Sands), by inh
1955-2001: private collection
2001-2008: Hirschl & Adler Galleries location
From 2008: Dallas Museum of Art, the Patsy Lacy Griffith Collection, gift of Patsy Lacy Griffith by exchange????????????????:(
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Wollaston, John (British, active in America, 1710-1775): ULAN: 500031152
Cultures
Geography
Depicted location and place of origin: United States (nation): TGN: 7012149
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
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