Family Group
c. 1775-1780
Francis Wheatley captures a fashionable 18th-century family enjoying a leisurely stroll through a lush, wooded landscape, perfectly embodying the era's obsession with outdoor leisure. The mother, draped in shimmering silk, shares a quiet moment with her daughter, who strums a mandolin while wearing an elaborate feathered hat. Standing tall beside them, the father leans casually on his cane, his powdered wig and red-lined coat signaling their high social status. Painted in the late 1700s, this group portrait reflects the early stirrings of Romanticism, where nature and personal connection began to take center stage over stiff, formal poses.