Object ID	N0288.1961
Title	Eliza Jane Fay
Artist	Bascom, Ruth Henshaw (attributed to)
Object Name	Painting
Early Date	1840
Exhibit label line3	Ruth Henshaw Bascom is an example of an artist whose work progressed from a hobby to a professional career. As a minister's wife, Bascom began drawing as a pastime, but was soon traveling to other areas to draw portraiture on commission. She kept a daily journal in which she recorded making over a thousand portraits for money, services in kind, and as tokens of affection. Bascom rendered all her portraits in life-size profile. In order to create a realistic image, she first outlined a cast shadow of the sitter on her drawing paper. She then colored the picture using pastel crayons. The portrait of her brother, Horatio Gates Henshaw, is one of Bascom's more compelling character studies with the heavy lined brow and strongly contoured nose. A more sensitive likeness, Eliza Jane Fay features a mourning necklace.
Description	Marks: Penciled in script at the base of the monument pictured in the locket is "In Mem[ory of] Geo. Washingt[on]" and below the portrait is "Eliza Jane Fay/Fitzwilliam N.H./Aged 8 years & 4 months. 1840." Penciled in script on the verso at the bottom is "Eliza Jane Fay/Fitzwilliam/July 1840." No watermark found.
Dimensions	H-18 W-13 inches
Material	Pastel & pencil on wove paper
Place of Origin	Fitzwilliam, Cheshire County, NH

Prior written permission is required for any reproduction, redistribution, publication, or other use of the images in any media, including but not limited to, printed or electronic media. Contact the Office of the Registrar, New York State Historical Association, PO Box 800, Cooperstown, NY 13326, (607) 547-1444, to request permission.    
Last modified on: November 04, 2005