Mary White Price
William Hodgson Henrico County, Virginia Late 18th century Oil on canvas 1989.11 On Loan Courtesy of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture Collection
Female education was limited to girls born into higher social classes. This education prepared young girls to manage the domestic aspects of a household. Mary White Price suggests through her connection to a book that she was educated. This approach was more common in portraits north of Virginia, where women were more often portrayed with books, letters, or bibles.