Some of Johnson’s most memorable paintings were his small scale compositions of family groups. Such works as these, traditionally called “conversation pieces,” trace their pedigree to England and seventeenth-century Holland. They were commissioned group portraits of wealthy patrons as they wanted to be seen, usually surrounded by sumptuous furnishing and a coterie of family and friends. —PH
Shelburne Museum catalogue record, May 27, 2014: "Family portrait of Joseph Mabbett Warren (1813–1890), Adelaide Phelps Warren (1815–1891) and their son Stephen Warren (1852–1885) in the library of their home 'Montairy' (now part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) in Troy, New York. Mr. Warren and Stephen are seated in an upholstered love seat (Stephen holds a book) and Mrs. Warren stands gazing out of a heavily draped long window."
Joseph Mabbett Warren (1813–1896). Son of Stephen Warren (1783–1847) and Martha Cornell Mabbett (1791–1879). Husband of Elizabeth Adelaide Phelps Warren (1815–1891, m. 1835); father of three children [Adapted from Frick Art Reference Library record for Mrs. Joseph Mabbett Warren].
Elizabeth Adelaide Phelps Warren (1815–1891). Daughter of Walter Phelps (1789–1874) and Julia Steele Black (1793–1877). Wife of Joseph Mabbett Warren (m. 1835); mother of three children [Frick Art Reference Library].
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