Melanie Thacker Nonmacher

Assistant Curator & Community Outreach Director Kaplan Museum of Judaica | Art Historian| Museum Educator| Bayou Bend Docent Program | Museum of Fine Arts

53 articles published

MATERNAL AFFECTION, TENDERNESS OR LOVE- 1809-1815

Religious, Sarah Hope Harvey Trumbull, TrumbullAugust 15, 2025183Views 0Likes 0Comments

This painting is part of a collection of paintings that Trumbull painted after the couple had left New York and moved back to London. The economy in New York had become increasingly financially strained and so commissions for portraits had become increasingly scarce. [1] Trumbull and Harvey thought that moving back to England might be…

JOHN TRUMBULL PORTRAITURE OF SARAH HOPE HARVEY TRUMBULL

Sarah Hope Harvey Trumbull, TrumbullAugust 13, 2025202Views 0Likes 0Comments

Trumbull’s portraiture was different when he painted his wife, Harvey. There is less formality and more warmth. He often painted her during life transitions, such as her wedding introductory portrait and the portrait that he painted of her in 1805, upon their return to America from England. The portraits that Trumbull painted of Harvey, besides…

SARAH HOPE HARVEY TRUMBULL WHITE DRESS- 1800

Sarah Hope Harvey Trumbull, TrumbullAugust 13, 2025210Views 0Likes 2Comments

Harvey, shown in a billowy white dress, exudes innocence in this portrait. This is exactly the message that Trumbull hoped to send to his family. Her strawberry blonde hair is tied up in a bun high on her head. She has curls that have come loose that surround her face. Harvey wears a headband or…

SARAH HOPE HARVEY TRUMBULL WITH A SPANIEL- 1802

Sarah Hope Harvey Trumbull, TrumbullAugust 13, 2025204Views 0Likes 0Comments

This painting, possibly more than any other portrait that Trumbull painted of his wife, conveys real warmth and intimacy. Beauty beyond the normal beauty of women was how Trumbull described Harvey. [1] Still living in England, while their marriage was new, Trumbull paints Harvey in a domestic scene. Standing in a very dark, nearly…

SARAH HOPE HARVEY TRUMBULL- BLACK DRESS, WHITE COMB- 1805

Sarah Hope Harvey Trumbull, TrumbullAugust 12, 2025181Views 0Likes 0Comments

Now living in America, Harvey sits with her hands in her lap, looking away from the viewer. She is approximately thirty-one years old. This is almost a ¾ length portrait of her body. The surface of the painting is smooth, not textured. The colors of the paint were ground fresh, especially for this portrait…