Hulda Merritt Foote, 1847

William E. McMaster (1823-after 1860), Hulda Merritt Foote, 1847. Oil on canvas, 23 ¾ x 19 ½ in. Gift of Mrs. William D. Jones (Rachael M. Foote)

William E. McMaster followed a classic pattern for a mid-nineteenth century American portraitist. He trained initially in his hometown of Auburn, New York and then at the age of 22 he followed one his instructors, Charles Loring Eliott, to New York City. His work exhibited at the National Academy of Design, the Brooklyn Art Academy, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from the mid-1860s to 1881.

Hulda Merritt Foote is one of McMaster’s early works, completed within two years of his relocation to New York. Some of the less successful elements betray the artist’s youth. McMaster had difficulty achieving anatomical accuracy in the rest of Foote’s body, in particular in the way her shoulders connect to her arms and her compressed waist. The swag carpet as well seems irrelevant, a relic of an earlier time period as seen in other portraits in this gallery.

However, McMaster also demonstrates sensitivity to human character that is captivating. Indeed, the artist works up the sitter’s head and right hand to such a finish that the rest of the painting fades in comparison. He also brings a narrative component into the portrait through the volume Foote holds in her left hand. Lady of the Lake recalls Arthurian legend and, with Foote’s right elbow on her own writing, elevates her distant gaze to the realm of romantic idyll.