The Raymond Children 1835 - 1838

Robert Peckham painted this oil on canvas portrait of the Raymond Children, sometime in the first half of the 19th century. It captures two youngsters amidst the accoutrements of a prosperous household. But what can this image tell us about the social conditions that made it possible? The clothing of the children is one such indicator, from the older child’s fashionable yellow dress, to the younger’s black velvet jacket, replete with fine lace. These were expensive garments that spoke to the family's status. So too did the interior furnishings, the books, and the toys, like the pull-along toy dog. Together, these material possessions project an image of middle-class respectability, one that speaks of the burgeoning market economy in antebellum America. To fully understand an image like this, the historian turns to inventories, account books, and other period documents to better understand the economic and cultural context of its making. The art lies in how the artist and patron negotiate those social conditions.