Oil on panel, signed and dated 1816 at lower right, half-length portrait of an older woman in lace cap and holding a pair of brass framed spectacles, presented in the likely original gilt frame.

Rabbet 30 x 23.5 in.; DOA 37 x 30.5 in.

Ethan Allen Greenwood was born in Hubbardston, Massachusetts, a son of Major Moses Greenwood and Betsy Dunlap. After teaching at various schools and colleges, and studying the law at Dartmouth, Greenwood determined he would be more successful as a painter. Primarily self-taught, Greenwood also studied with Edward Savage in New York City. He opened a studio in Boston in 1812 and became the proprietor of the New England Museum following Savage's death in 1817. Greenwood retired to Hubbardston in 1827, where he was active in politics.


Stable checks to panel; surface grime; yellowing varnish; areas of abrading to panel; wear and later gilding to frame.