GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Painted about five years into Mary Trusler's second marriage, her portrait reveals Jeremiah Theus's direct observation of his Charlestonian sitter, her desire for elegant representation, and his own stylistic difficulties. Theus, who had immigrated to South Carolina from Switzerland with his family as a teenager, looked to the oval format of imported mezzotints as a model for his portraits. The luxurious satin dress Mary Trusler wears was also taken directly from an engraved source, shown by the contrast between its hard-edged, uniformly lit folds and the much more sensitively modeled face of his sitter. The elaborate bow on Mary Trusler's lace shawl, known as a fichu, and the string of pearls around her neck are devices Theus used in many of his portraits to bridge the gap between what was real and what was borrowed from artistic sources, often with his sitters' full compliance. Her expression suggests that she was a prosperous woman of solid character. She was married first to a wealthy landowner and then to a businessman, both of whom have streets named after them in Charleston today.
Adapted from
- William Keyse Rudolph, DMA label text, 2006.
- DMA unpublished material.
NOTES
c. 1760
Search dates listed as 1735-1785, changed to 1755-1765
Object File Reviewed
Mary Trusler is dressed in the current fashion of the day ruffles extending out from the elbows of her dress, a linen kerchief draped over her neck and shoulders and fastened with a bow. Her linen cap was also a popular style in colonial Charleston. However, it is likely that the artist Jeremiah Theus placed Mary's face on a pre-painted dress, devised to communicate wealth and social status. Her fashionable pearl choker conceals the transition area between her body and face. Mary Trusler's expression suggests that she was a prosperous woman of solid character. She was married first to a wealthy landowner and then to a businessman, both of whom have streets named after them in Charleston today. As a well-off member of her community, Mrs. Trusler would have wanted to be perceived as a European aristocrat.
Swiss-born Theus looked to the oval format and fashionable dress of imported mezzotints as a model for his portraits.
Excerpt from "American Portraits" research document, nd, Education files.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Theus, Jeremiah (American, Swiss born, 1716-1774)
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Charleston (South Carolina/United States): TGN: 7013582
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From 1988: Dallas Museum of Art, General Acquisitions Fund, purchased from Vose Galleries, LLC, Boston
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- Gibbes Museum of Art~Explore other works by Jeremiah Theus at the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
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Apply to objects where number equals 1988.80
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General Description
Painted about five years into Mary Trusler's second marriage, her portrait reveals Jeremiah Theus's direct observation of his Charlestonian sitter, her desire for elegant representation, and his own stylistic difficulties. Theus, who had immigrated to South Carolina from Switzerland with his family as a teenager, looked to the oval format of imported mezzotints as a model for his portraits. The luxurious satin dress Mary Trusler wears was also taken directly from an engraved source, shown by the contrast between its hard-edged, uniformly lit folds and the much more sensitively modeled face of his sitter. The elaborate bow on Mary Trusler's lace shawl, known as a fichu, and the string of pearls around her neck are devices Theus used in many of his portraits to bridge the gap between what was real and what was borrowed from artistic sources, often with his sitters' full compliance. Her expression suggests that she was a prosperous woman of solid character. She was married first to a wealthy landowner and then to a businessman, both of whom have streets named after them in Charleston today.
Adapted from
- William Keyse Rudolph, DMA label text, 2006.
- DMA unpublished material.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- Gibbes Museum of Art~Explore other works by Jeremiah Theus at the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina.
Notes
c. 1760
Search dates listed as 1735-1785, changed to 1755-1765
Object File Reviewed
Mary Trusler is dressed in the current fashion of the day ruffles extending out from the elbows of her dress, a linen kerchief draped over her neck and shoulders and fastened with a bow. Her linen cap was also a popular style in colonial Charleston. However, it is likely that the artist Jeremiah Theus placed Mary's face on a pre-painted dress, devised to communicate wealth and social status. Her fashionable pearl choker conceals the transition area between her body and face. Mary Trusler's expression suggests that she was a prosperous woman of solid character. She was married first to a wealthy landowner and then to a businessman, both of whom have streets named after them in Charleston today. As a well-off member of her community, Mrs. Trusler would have wanted to be perceived as a European aristocrat.
Swiss-born Theus looked to the oval format and fashionable dress of imported mezzotints as a model for his portraits.
Excerpt from "American Portraits" research document, nd, Education files.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Theus, Jeremiah (American, Swiss born, 1716-1774)
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Charleston (South Carolina/United States): TGN: 7013582
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From 1988: Dallas Museum of Art, General Acquisitions Fund, purchased from Vose Galleries, LLC, Boston
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1988.80
source file
object_notes_1_b-0155.xml.nores