Mrs. David Chesebrough 1754

Joseph Blackburn painted this portrait of Mrs. David Chesebrough using oil on canvas. Blackburn was an English-born artist who worked in colonial America during a time when portraiture served as a key marker of social status. Here, Mrs. Chesebrough is carefully posed; she is adorned in a sumptuous silk dress. The lace at her sleeves and neckline, together with the bows, signal her family's wealth and status in the New England colonies. Yet, as we consider the opulence on display, we must also acknowledge the historical backdrop against which this image was created. The economy of the Chesebrough’s and others like them was intertwined with the exploitation and forced labor of enslaved people. Blackburn’s portrait invites us to consider the complex layers of identity and history embedded within its surface and how individual stories connect to larger narratives of power, privilege, and social structures.