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Portrait of a Boy, Probably of the Crossfield Family

ca. 1770–75
Not on view
William Williams was born in England, the son of a mariner. He lived through shipwreck and adventure in the Caribbean before arriving in Philadelphia at the age of twenty, by which time he was already earning a livelihood as a painter. He returned to England in 1776, and died there fifteen years later in an almshouse. Tradition holds that the solemn young man represented in this portrait is a member of the Crossfield family. He holds the equipment for the game of battledore and shuttlecock, a decorous eighteenth-century version of badminton. In this picture, one of Williams's best, the rendering of the rocks, the verdure, and the distant view reminds us that the artist was also a painter of theatrical scenery.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Portrait of a Boy, Probably of the Crossfield Family
  • Artist: William Williams (1727–1791)
  • Date: ca. 1770–75
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 52 1/4 x 35 3/4 in. (134.7 x 91 cm)
  • Credit Line: Victor Wilbour Memorial Fund, 1965
  • Object Number: 65.34
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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