Clara Jane Gross
Robert Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1851 Oil on canvas 85.22 Gift of Fletcher E. Ammons
Education as the path forward for future generations of boys and girls became a dominant theme in neoclassical America. While family connections remained important, more progressive approaches to family planning and childbearing placed greater emphasis on education and a more fulfilling future. Books, like the one seen here in Clara Jane Gross’s portrait, represented that shift and were especially frequent in likenesses of children.