  
  About the Artwork
  
  
  In January 1735, Scottish-born artist John Smibert recorded this portrait of &acirc;&#128;&#156;Mrs. Pitts&acirc;&#128;&#157; in his account book. &acirc;&#128;&#156;Mrs. Pitts&acirc;&#128;&#157; was Elizabeth Lindall Pitts (1680 &acirc;&#128;&#147; 1763), mother-in law to Elizabeth Bowdoin Pitts (1717 &acirc;&#128;&#147; 1771), whose portrait Smibert also painted that month (also in the Detroit Institute of Arts). This likeness shows the formidable and wealthy widow sitting erect in a silk-upholstered armchair.

The artist&acirc;&#128;&#153;s annotations in his account book indicate that he required &acirc;&#128;&#156;HP,&acirc;&#128;&#157; half payment of his nine-Guinea fee, before painting this portrait in the Kit-Cat format. Kit-Cat portraits show the subject&acirc;&#128;&#153;s face, torso, and hands, depicting more than a traditional half-length portrait. This style takes its name from the format of early eighteenth-century portraits showing politicians, writers, thinkers, and artists who were members of the political Kit-Cat Club in London.
  
  
  Title
  Mrs. John Pitts
  
  
  Artwork Date
  1735
  
  Artist
  John Smibert
  
  
  
  Life Dates
  1688-1751
  
  
  
  
  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  American
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
  ----------
  
  
  Medium
  Oil on canvas
  
  
  Dimensions
  Unframed: 36 1/8 &Atilde;&#151; 28 3/4 inches (91.8 &Atilde;&#151; 73 cm)
  Framed: 42 3/4 &Atilde;&#151; 34 7/16 &Atilde;&#151; 2 1/8 inches (108.6 &Atilde;&#151; 87.5 &Atilde;&#151; 5.4 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Paintings
  
  
  Department
  American Art before 1950
  
  
  Credit
  Founders Society Purchase, Gibbs-Williams Fund
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum&acirc;&#128;&#153;s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems&acirc;&#128;&#148;no longer assigned&acirc;&#128;&#148;that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  58.353
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
  
  
  
