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Our Daughters' Portraits

Monday, November 14, 2011

Many of you have either commented or emailed me asking about our daughters' portraits in our dining room.  I thought I would write a post about them in answer to your questions.

The portraits were drawn by Jean Reasoner Plunket,  granddaughter of the American artist Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849 - 1921).  I love his art, and he is probably best known for his angels and ideal figures.

Here are a few of my favorite paintings by Abbott Thayer:



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Angel, 1887


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The Virgin, ca 1893



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Roses, ca. 1896


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Brass Bowl, 1886


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Monadnock, ca. 1917

I saw this painting at Ms. Plunket's home in Washington, D.C. when I took Shelley to have her portrait drawn.


Shanley Belle's portrait was drawn in 1997 at Parlange Plantation in Louisiana.  She was the fourth grandchild to be drawn by Ms. Plunket. Shelley and I flew to Washington in 2001 for her portrait because she had no plans to travel to the South for portrait sittings.

Ms. Plunket has written two books, and the second one, Faces That Won't Sit Still, an Update, features a few of the thousands of portraits she has drawn over her career.  Our twin niece and nephew, Molly and Mason Ryan, are featured in the book's twins section and as direct descendants of U.S. presidents.



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Here are our girls' portraits.  Please forgive me for the quality of the photos due to the glass.

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Shanley Belle

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Shelley Angele

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Ms. Plunket amazed me with her ability to entertain the children all day long. Shanley Belle's portrait took almost twelve hours, and the power went out that day due to tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in the area.  Both girls loved her, and I am grateful to have two lovely works of art that mean the world to me in our home.  I think she truly captured all five grandchildren's personalities well, but I think she absolutely nailed one of our daughter's personalities better than the rest.  

Until next time...

Blessings,
Ricki Jill

37 comments

  1. Very, very lovely!

    All the best - Katie
    www.westiejulep.blogspot.com

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  2. Good Morning Ricki Jill Sweetie...
    Oh my goodness gracious. What beautiful angel portraits of your two girls. I love them both, and even through the glass they are breathtaking. I can't even imagine having such patience as an artist, to keep up with a child, let alone 2 in one day. WOW... You have some gorgeous treasures sweet friend. They are so beautiful. I bet you just look and smile and smile every time you see them and remember the day fondly. Memories, aren't they the best?

    Thank you for sharing sweet friend. I so enjoyed seeing these gorgeous photos up close. Have a beautiful week dear friend. Many hugs and much love, Sherry

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  3. beautiful girls and beautiful work, what a memory peice, lovely

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  4. Really lovely portraits.. : )) Stopping in so wish you an awesome start to your week.. : )) ~M

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  5. Lovely portraits! We had a friend paint our daughters portrait two years ago, I love it! It is something unique and goes with most any decor. Have a great week lady!

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  6. The portraits are just beautiful, Ricki Jill! And, if you are like me, you would be wishing they were still that age.....lol!

    In answer to your query from an earlier post, yes, I decorate for Thanksgiving. I already had all my Fall decor in place when Halloween rolled around, so I just added the "spookiness" of that holiday to my decor. The day after Halloween, all the "ghouls" got packed away, & I pulled out my turkeys, Pilgrims & Indians. I do not do my Christmas decorating until the day after Thanksgiving. I have started working on some of the Christmas displays, plus a lot of sorting & staging, & it's all in my guest room. I am planning to put up my sitting room & breakfast room trees just before Thanksgiving & let some of my "Grands" do the decorating while the adults prepare our feast.

    Hope you have a great week!
    :) CAS

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  7. Hi Pretty RJ! Oh, what darling portraits of your little darlings! What a treasure they are!
    Thanks for popping in and hope you've had a great weekend.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  8. What sweet pictures and what a wonderful remembrance of such an amazing time in their lives and with that so special artist! Just think, maybe one day those portraits will hang in their grandchildrens homes!

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  9. Bellissimi ritratti molto dolci!Una buona settimana piena di dolcezza!Baci,Rosetta

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  10. They are so wonderful and what a story to have to go with them.

    I have that angel hanging in my home, I actually added real feathers to it and altered it a bit with letters to say Welcome when you come in our front door.
    Amy

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  11. Such beautiful portraits of two beautiful little girls, how wonderful!

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  12. These are lovely portraits. How special they tell a wonderful story. They will be treasured forever.

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  13. Ricki Jill, These are absolutely beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing them with us and the history behind the art. You are very blessed to have these treasures.
    Laura

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  14. Oh Ricki Jill,
    What beautiful portraits of your daughters and with such a very special story behind them. Thank you so much for sharing. Wishing you a wonderful new week my sweet friend.

    Hugs and Kisses,
    ♥Ana

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  15. Ricki Jill,
    I have seen the first angel picture, and like it very much. Your daughter's portraits are so sweet and such a treasure. Many years ago, I got my portrait painted, but it was at a fair and only took a short while. The woman was deaf in her left ear, and it was only until later that I noticed that my left ear wasn't painted by her. I don't know if it was symbolic or what, but I thought it was special, and always kept it that way.
    ~Sheri at Red Rose Alley

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  16. Oh, I forgot to mention....I LOVE YOUR NEW HEADER...VERY ELEGANT!!
    ~Sheri at Red Rose Alley

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  17. The portraits are beautiful and what a wonderful thing to have and to pass down to the family.

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  18. Wow..these are all so beautiful and I too, had made a comment a long time ago about those lovely photo's..your daughters are beautiful..and what a long lasting treasures you have. You should have had yours done too.

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  19. These are absolutely gorgeous and are sure to be handed down for many generatioons. I know that these have to be truly treasured by you and your husband.

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  20. Gorgeous portraits and a fascinating post. Thanks for sharing.

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  21. Wow! I never owned a portrait and I never have one for myself to Ricki. It was such an achievement to have portraits for your daughters. Do you have one for yourself? I would love to see them.

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  22. They are beautiful girls and beautiful portraits. What a great story to boot!

    Carol

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  23. Those are beautiful portraits, and a wonderful and interesting story too, Thanks so much for sharing both.

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  24. These are absolutely beautiful! You have inspired me to post about my baby portrait soon!

    Love,
    LuLu~*xoxo

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  25. What treasured portraits of your daughters, Ricki. Your daughters are beautiful! The paintings are beautiful! Why don't you do a search on Ebay for palette plates? You might find some there....Christine

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  26. G'morn Ricki Jill ~ What awesome portraits of your daughters, she so captured their beauty. Precious treasures forever. LOVE the floral art you shared, the roses grabbed my heart.

    Have a beautiful day ~
    TTFN~
    Hugs,
    Marydon

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  27. Absolutely beautiful! What wonderful portraits of your daughters and keepsakes forever.
    ~ Julie

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  28. Lovely portraits and a great painter and story to go with them.

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  29. HI DEAREST RICKY GOOD DAY TO YOU. WOWWW LOVELY PORTRAITS HE WAS A GREAT PAINTER .!!!!XO

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  30. Just beautiful Ricki, love the portraits, they must be very special. I love them. I also love your new Header, new painting??

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  31. So, I'm not the only one who admired those beauties that grace the backdrop in some of your posts! They are gorgeous Ricki Jill...what treasures!!!

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  32. just stumbled upon your blog and was amazed to see that Thayer was the father of Mrs. Plunket! I included Thayer in a recent post (link below) and Mrs. Plunket drew my portrait (as well as my sister's) way back in 70's. Her portrait is a treasure. Thankful to have found this post!

    http://www.jcwebbstudios.com/2011/12/hark.html

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  33. Jean Plunket made portraits of me and my six siblings during her summer tours in the 60s. As you so aptly put it, she nailed all our personalities. I remember it as a long couple of days when I sat for my portrait. I was ten in 1964 when I posed. You brought back a lot of memories.

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    Replies
    1. jean plunket made portraits of my brother and me in 1974-And my daughter and neices in 2007!! What a treasure- my daughtr wore my portrait dress too-

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I'm Ricki Jill. Welcome! I'm honored that you're reading my blog. I enjoy sharing my creative lifestyle @ The Bookish Dilettante. For more information about my blog, please read the Start Here page. Thank-you for stopping by, and I hope you'll consider following me via email.

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