1834
Watercolor and ink on paper, 4 1/2 x 3 1/2”
Signed lower right

Mrs. Martha Atkins Barnes

Lucius Barnes (1819-1836)

Creating a likeness of his 96-year-old grandmother was a monumental challenge for Barnes, a paralyzed Middletown teenager who could move only his hands and toes. He made at least seven profile portraits of her. She wears the same glasses and clothes in all but stands smoking a pipe and leaning on a cane in some and sits with a Bible in others. Crude though they are, they are vivid depictions of a strong, confident woman.