Sarah Humes Porter

Sarah Humes Porter

Jacob Eichholtz
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
1819
Oil on canvas
72.10.2
Gift of the Michigan Society, NSDAR

Throughout her life, Sarah Humes Porter remained dedicated to her family. This portrait was likely painted at the time of her marriage to George Porter. George was appointed the Territorial Governor of Michigan by President Andrew Jackson, moving his entire family to Detroit in 1831. When he died in 1834, Sarah returned to Pennsylvania to her family. When she died in 1867, her last will and testament focused most of its details on the future of her grandson, Oliver. In her picture, Sarah wears a shawl, a fashionable accessory of neoclassical inspiration. Shawls replaced the use of pearls, fruits, and flowers to symbolize one’s commitment to family and childrearing.