The practice of recording family likenesses predates the 1839 invention of photography by thousands of years, as seen in sculptures and paintings. Illuminated family records commemorated births, deaths, and marriages. This watercolor family record from Poland, Maine, recorded the marriage of Miss Betty Haskel and Mr. Jonathan Bennet, as well as the birth dates of their nine children.
Pregnancy and raising children filled the daily lives of many women in the eighteenth century. Marriages, births, and deaths were primarily community affairs prior to the mid-19th century. Family occasions were marked by a gathered congregation, a village, or a household that routinely included servants, apprentices, lodgers, and visitors.
| Date made | April 12, 1804 |
| Date made | 1804-04-12 |
| described | Bennet, Jonathan |
| described | Haskel, Betty |
| artist | Barns, Ruben |
| Place Made | United States: Maine, Poland |
| Physical Description | watercolor (overall production method/technique) |
| Measurements | image: 13 3/4 in x 10 3/4 in; 34.925 cm x 27.305 cm |
| Measurements | overall-in frame: 3/4 in x 20 1/8 in x 22 1/2 in; 1.905 cm x 51.1175 cm x 57.15 cm |
| Measurements | overall, frame hook: 3/4 in x 15 3/8 in x 1 7/8 in; 1.905 cm x 39.0525 cm x 4.7625 cm |
| Credit Line | Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur M. Greenwood |
| ID Number | DL.388164 |
| catalog number | 388164 |
| accession number | 182022 |
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