William James Hubard (American, 1807-1862), Portrait of Mary Tabb Crump

Oil on canvas (lined), unsigned, presented in a later giltwood frame.

Stretcher size 36 1/4 x 28 in.; Frame dimensions 42 1/2 x 34 3/8 in.

Born in Shropshire, England, William James Hubard began his artistic career creating paper silhouettes of local clergy during childhood. His talent drew the attention of a neighbor, Mr. Smith, who took the boy on an tour of Britain in 1824 that combined music and live silhouette cutting. Smith brought Hubard to Boston in 1825 to attract American audiences. Over the next several years, he exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Boston Athenaeum, and by 1832 he was recognized in Baltimore and Philadelphia for small-scale oil portraits of prominent figures such as Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. His refined style earned the admiration of leading artists including Gilbert Stuart, Robert Weir, and Thomas Sully.

From the mid-1830s onward, Hubard worked extensively in Virginia, eventually settling near Richmond. Highly sought after by elite Virginia families, he became one of the region’s foremost portraitists.

This work depicts young Mary Susan Tabb Crump (1824–1891), born in Gloucester County, Virginia. She was the daughter of Captain Philip Edward Tabb and Emeline Madison Allmond. In 1846 she married William Wood Crump, a prominent Richmond lawyer and politician who later served in the Virginia Legislature. The couple lived in Richmond and had several children. Mary became part of one of the city’s leading families and remained closely connected to Virginia’s social and political circles until her death in 1891; she is buried at Shockoe Hill Cemetery.

The painting has been lined, with repairs and retouching visible under UV light.