Mrs. James Mackie
Samuel Lovett Waldo · 1830–40
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 92.1 × 73.7 cm (36 1/4 × 29 in.)
- Currently held
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Movement
- Neoclassicism
Mrs. James Mackie carries the composed authority typical of Samuel Lovett Waldo's finest society portraits — a dignified presence rendered with quiet confidence in the manner of early nineteenth-century American painting. Waldo trained under the celebrated Gilbert Stuart and later studied in London with Benjamin West, bringing a transatlantic refinement to his New York practice. His portraits are distinguished by their controlled palette, precise rendering of fabric and lace, and a particular sensitivity in capturing the sitter's character without veering into flattery. In Mrs. James Mackie, painted somewhere between 1830 and 1840, that restraint is evident — the composition is formal but not stiff, the face individuated rather than idealised. Waldo ran a long and productive partnership with fellow painter William Jewett, a collaboration so seamless that attributing individual works to one or the other has challenged art historians for generations. This hand-painted oil reproduction on canvas follows the original brushwork, tonal relationships, and compositional structure closely, giving the portrait the same sense of presence it holds at the Art Institute of Chicago — not a print approximation, but a painting made by hand from the ground up.
Hand-painted oil reproduction
Painted in real oil on stretched canvas by master copyists. Delivered unframed — ready to frame at home.
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In Waldo's style.
Send us a photograph of your family, pet, or home — we'll paint it as a custom oil on stretched canvas in any style you like. From £220.
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