Family & Social Life

Bennet Family Record

Donations to the Museum have preserved irreplaceable evidence about generations of ordinary Americans. Objects from the Copp household of Stonington, Connecticut, include many items used by a single family from 1740 to 1850. Other donations have brought treasured family artifacts from jewelry to prom gowns. These gifts and many others are all part of the Museum's family and social life collections.

Children's books and Sunday school lessons, tea sets and family portraits also mark the connections between members of a family and between families and the larger society. Prints, advertisements, and artifacts offer nostalgic or idealized images of family life and society in times past. And the collections include a few modern conveniences that have had profound effects on American families and social life, such as televisions, video games, and personal computers.

Resource Type: Etchings (prints)

Officer and Laughing Girl after Vermeer

Le Soldat et la Fillette Qui Rit is the only painting by Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) that Jules Jacquemart etched. His first attempt to etch a painting in 1861 was a failure, as apparently he had been unable to work directly from the subject.
Description
Le Soldat et la Fillette Qui Rit is the only painting by Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) that Jules Jacquemart etched. His first attempt to etch a painting in 1861 was a failure, as apparently he had been unable to work directly from the subject. Not until five years later in 1866 did he make a second attempt at etching a painting, this print after Vermeer. It was considered to be one of the best reproductive etchings of the time. The Vermeer painting now hangs in the Frick Collection, New York. But when Jacquemart etched it for the Gazette des Beaux-Arts, it was in the collection of Léopold Double, a French artillery officer, bibliophile, and art collector.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1866
original artist
Vermeer, Jan
graphic artist
Jacquemart, Jules
printer
Delâtre
publisher
Gazette des Beaux-Arts
ID Number
GA.14601
catalog number
14601
accession number
94830

First Love Letter

Camille Piton made this etching to illustrate a catalog for an auction of works from the collection of J. C. Runkle, which was held in New York on March 8, 1883. Samuel P. Avery, art dealer and himself a collector, organized the sale and the catalog.
Description
Camille Piton made this etching to illustrate a catalog for an auction of works from the collection of J. C. Runkle, which was held in New York on March 8, 1883. Samuel P. Avery, art dealer and himself a collector, organized the sale and the catalog. The New York Times judged Piton’s effort as “handsomely etched.” Ludwig Knaus (1829–1910), the original artist of First Love Letter, was a German painter of sentimental genre scenes which were very popular in his day. Originally titled in German, his painting was known by its English title because it had been purchased by an American.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1879
original artist
Knaus, Ludwig
graphic artist
Piton, Camille
ID Number
GA.14885
catalog number
14885
accession number
94830

Farm Scene, the Scourer

This impression of La Recureuse by Charles Jacque is neither signed nor dated. The print shows a farm girl washing a large tub, which has been propped up on a rustic stool or wooden chopping block.
Description
This impression of La Recureuse by Charles Jacque is neither signed nor dated. The print shows a farm girl washing a large tub, which has been propped up on a rustic stool or wooden chopping block. The young boy, standing and carrying a shield, originally was shown relieving himself. A later hand, possibly Stephen Ferris’s or Gerome Ferris’s, censored the artist’s composition by whiting out the original activity and inking in a shield. Printed on chine colle.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1845
graphic artist
Jacque, Charles Émile
ID Number
GA.14705
catalog number
14705
accession number
94830

The Bottle: Plate VIII. The Bottle Has Done Its Work...designed and etched by George Cruikshank and published by David Bogue

This black and white etching is the last of eight scenes designed and etched by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. This print is an interior scene of a cell with a man huddling in a corner before a caged fire.
Description
This black and white etching is the last of eight scenes designed and etched by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. This print is an interior scene of a cell with a man huddling in a corner before a caged fire. He is being visited by his grown children, now a thief and a woman of shame. A guard is visible through an open doorway in the background. This series is a folio edition. On the reverse of Plate I. is the title page of the series and an inscription from the artist, including the cost of one shilling or six shillings for prints block tinted for shading on finer paper. The series is contained in a portfolio.
This series of prints is by the English artist George Cruikshank (1792-1878). Cruikshank’s father, Isaac Cruikshank, was an artist who specialized in song sheets and caricatures and trained George and his brother Robert Cruikshank in these arts. George started as a caricaturist for magazines and children’s books. His most famous works included The Bottle and The Drunkard’s Children, designed and etched by Cruikshank to show the wickedness of alcohol. Cruikshank's father and brother were both alcoholics and he himself drank heavily until he took a vow of abstinence in 1847. These prints were published by David Bogue, who published most of Cruikshank’s works in the 1850s. David Bogue (1807–1856) was born in Scotland and moved to London in 1836. Bogue began working in Charles Tilt's bookshop as a publisher and bookseller in 1836 and became Tilt's partner in 1840. Bogue bought the shop in 1843. He was the principle publisher of Cruikshank’s short-lived periodicals, brief illustrated stories, and the Comic Almanack 1835-53. David Bogue published The Bottle series in 1847. Bogue suffered from heart disease and died in 1856 at the age of 48.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1847
maker
Cruikshank, George
publisher
Bogue, David
ID Number
DL.60.2917
catalog number
60.2917
accession number
228146

The Bottle: Plate VII. The Husband, in a State of Furious Drunkeness Kills His Wife...designed and etched by George Cruikshank and published by David Bogue

This black and white etching is seventh of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. This print is an interior scene of a crowd gathered around the body of a dead woman.
Description
This black and white etching is seventh of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. This print is an interior scene of a crowd gathered around the body of a dead woman. The weapon, a broken bottle, lies on the floor at her feet. The husband stands next to the fireplace and is being seized by a policeman. Another policeman consoles and interrogates the crying daughter, who is pointing to the broken bottle. The son, also crying, stands next to the fireplace. This series is a folio edition. On the reverse of Plate I. is the title page of the series and an inscription from the artist, including the cost of one shilling or six shillings for prints block tinted for shading on finer paper. The series is contained in a portfolio.
This series of prints is by the English artist George Cruikshank (1792-1878). Cruikshank’s father, Isaac Cruikshank, was an artist who specialized in song sheets and caricatures and trained George and his brother Robert Cruikshank in these arts. George started as a caricaturist for magazines and children’s books. His most famous works included The Bottle and The Drunkard’s Children, designed and etched by Cruikshank to show the wickedness of alcohol. Cruikshank's father and brother were both alcoholics and he himself drank heavily until he took a vow of abstinence in 1847. These prints were published by David Bogue, who published most of Cruikshank’s works in the 1850s. David Bogue (1807–1856) was born in Scotland and moved to London in 1836. Bogue began working in Charles Tilt's bookshop as a publisher and bookseller in 1836 and became Tilt's partner in 1840. Bogue bought the shop in 1843. He was the principle publisher of Cruikshank’s short-lived periodicals, brief illustrated stories, and the Comic Almanack 1835-53. David Bogue published The Bottle series in 1847. Bogue suffered from heart disease and died in 1856 at the age of 48
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1847
maker
Cruikshank, George
publisher
Bogue, David
ID Number
DL.60.2916
catalog number
60.2916
accession number
228146

The Bottle: Plate I. The Bottle Is Brought Out for the First Time...designed and etched by George Cruikshank and published by David Bogue

This black and white print is the first of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. The print depicts an interior scene of a man, a woman, and three children.
Description
This black and white print is the first of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. The print depicts an interior scene of a man, a woman, and three children. The family is depicted as happy and healthy in an orderly home. The man and woman are seated at a table; the man is pouring a drink for the woman. They are surrounded by comfortable, middle-class furnishings that include a fireplace with stove insert, pictures on the wall including one depicting a church and china figurines above the mantle. The tall case clock indicates the passing of the mid-day meal. A cat and a kitten play by the fire near the two younger children. This series is a folio edition. On the reverse of Plate I. is the title page of the series and an inscription from the artist, including the cost of one shilling or six shillings for prints block tinted for shading on finer paper. The series is contained in a portfolio.
This series of prints is by the English artist George Cruikshank (1792-1878). Cruikshank’s father, Isaac Cruikshank, was an artist who specialized in song sheets and caricatures and trained George and his brother Robert Cruikshank in these arts. George started as a caricaturist for magazines and children’s books. His most famous works included The Bottle series and The Drunkard’s Children series, designed, and etched by Cruikshank to show the wickedness of alcohol. Following in the tradition of earlier artists, like the 18th century painter William Hogarth, Cruikshank used storytelling techniques to create these works, which contained plots, recurring characters, and symbolic background details. Cruikshank's father and brother were both alcoholics and he himself drank heavily until he took a vow of abstinence in 1847. These prints were published by David Bogue, who published most of Cruikshank’s works in the 1850s. David Bogue (1807–1856) was born in Scotland and moved to London in 1836. Bogue began working in Charles Tilt's bookshop as a publisher and bookseller in 1836 and became Tilt's partner in 1840. Bogue bought the shop in 1843. He was the principle publisher of Cruikshank’s short-lived periodicals, brief illustrated stories, and the Comic Almanack 1835-53. David Bogue published The Bottleseries in 1847. Bogue suffered from heart disease and died in 1856 at the age of 48.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1847
maker
Cruikshank, George
publisher
Bogue, David
ID Number
DL.60.2910
catalog number
60.2910
accession number
228146

Man with a Broken Pitcher

La Cruche Cassée etched by Charles Jacque shows a seated man with a broken pitcher in his left hand, at which he gestures with his right. Shards from the pitcher lie on the floor, and a basket tilts off the edge of the table, on which sits an empty glass.
Description
La Cruche Cassée etched by Charles Jacque shows a seated man with a broken pitcher in his left hand, at which he gestures with his right. Shards from the pitcher lie on the floor, and a basket tilts off the edge of the table, on which sits an empty glass. It appears that Jacque is chronicling the kind of mishap that can befall the drinking man. Before concentrating on depictions of rural life, Jacque made caricatures for a satiric magazine. In his prints, however, he presented the life of rural people sympathetically, not satirically.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1844
graphic artist
Jacque, Charles Émile
ID Number
GA.14706
catalog number
14706
accession number
94830

The Bottle: Plate III. An Execution Sweeps Off The Greater Part of Their Furniture...designed and etched by George Cruikshank and published by David Bogue

This black and white etching is the third of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking.
Description
This black and white etching is the third of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. This print is an interior scene of a family whose furnishings are being removed by a sheriff and two men for failure to pay debts. The father and mother are seated near the fireplace, while the three children linger nearby. The mother holds the bottle and looks sadly at her possessions being taken, including the clock, the empty chest, the table with the tea chest and Bible, and the painting of the church. This series is a folio edition. On the reverse of Plate I. is the title page of the series and an inscription from the artist, including the cost of one shilling or six shillings for prints block tinted for shading on finer paper. The series is contained in a portfolio.
This series of prints is by the English artist George Cruikshank (1792-1878). Cruikshank’s father, Isaac Cruikshank, was an artist who specialized in song sheets and caricatures and trained George and his brother Robert Cruikshank in these arts. George started as a caricaturist for magazines and children’s books. His most famous works included The Bottle and The Drunkard’s Children, designed and etched by Cruikshank to show the wickedness of alcohol. Cruikshank's father and brother were both alcoholics and he himself drank heavily until he took a vow of abstinence in 1847. These prints were published by David Bogue, who published most of Cruikshank’s works in the 1850s. David Bogue (1807–1856) was born in Scotland and moved to London in 1836. Bogue began working in Charles Tilt's bookshop as a publisher and bookseller in 1836 and became Tilt's partner in 1840. Bogue bought the shop in 1843. He was the principle publisher of Cruikshank’s short-lived periodicals, brief illustrated stories, and the Comic Almanack 1835-53. David Bogue published The Bottle series in 1847. Bogue suffered from heart disease and died in 1856 at the age of 48.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1847
maker
Cruikshank, George
publisher
Bogue, David
ID Number
DL.60.2912
catalog number
60.2912
accession number
228146

The Bottle: Plate V. Cold, Misery, and Want...designed and etched by George Cruikshank and published by David Bogue

This black and white etching is fifth of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking.
Description
This black and white etching is fifth of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. This print is an interior scene of a family, now reduced to two children after the starvation death of the baby/toddler. Mother, father and son huddle near a meager fire, the mother holding a wine glass, the father holding a bottle. The daughter stands with her hand on the toddler's coffin. The mother and daughter are weeping but now the mother holds a glass. A fork is stuck in the wall and holds up a piece of fabric that is covering the window, and a candle is stuck in the wine bottle on the mantle. This series is a folio edition. On the reverse of Plate I. is the title page of the series and an inscription from the artist, including the cost of one shilling or six shillings for prints block tinted for shading on finer paper. The series is contained in a portfolio.
This series of prints is by the English artist George Cruikshank (1792-1878). Cruikshank’s father, Isaac Cruikshank, was an artist who specialized in song sheets and caricatures and trained George and his brother Robert Cruikshank in these arts. George started as a caricaturist for magazines and children’s books. His most famous works included The Bottle and The Drunkard’s Children, designed and etched by Cruikshank to show the wickedness of alcohol. Cruikshank's father and brother were both alcoholics and he himself drank heavily until he took a vow of abstinence in 1847. These prints were published by David Bogue, who published most of Cruikshank’s works in the 1850s. David Bogue (1807–1856) was born in Scotland and moved to London in 1836. Bogue began working in Charles Tilt's bookshop as a publisher and bookseller in 1836 and became Tilt's partner in 1840. Bogue bought the shop in 1843. He was the principle publisher of Cruikshank’s short-lived periodicals, brief illustrated stories, and the Comic Almanack 1835-53. David Bogue published The Bottle series in 1847. Bogue suffered from heart disease and died in 1856 at the age of 48.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1847
maker
Cruikshank, George
publisher
Bogue, David
ID Number
DL.60.2914
catalog number
60.2914
accession number
228146

The Bottle: Plate II. He Is Discharged from His Employment for Drunkeness...designed and etched by George Cruikshank and published by David Bogue

This black and white etching is one of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. The print is an interior scene of a man, a woman, and three children.
Description
This black and white etching is one of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. The print is an interior scene of a man, a woman, and three children. The father is no longer trim and energetic but is instead overweight. He sits despondently or in a drunken stupor next to the fire while the daughter hands a new bottle to the mother and the mother hands the daughter what appears to be a bundle of clothes. A cat walks across a table that is pushed against the wall. The flowers on the chest on the left droop while one of the figurines is lying on its side, and most of the dishes in the cupboard are gone, presumably pawned. The two younger children huddle together on a small table or footstool. This series is a folio edition. On the reverse of Plate I. is the title page of the series and an inscription from the artist, including the cost of one shilling or six shillings for prints block tinted for shading on finer paper. The series is contained in a portfolio.
This series of prints is by the English artist George Cruikshank (1792-1878). Cruikshank’s father, Isaac Cruikshank, was an artist who specialized in song sheets and caricatures and trained George and his brother Robert Cruikshank in these arts. George started as a caricaturist for magazines and children’s books. His most famous works included The Bottle and The Drunkard’s Children, designed and etched by Cruikshank to show the wickedness of alcohol. Cruikshank's father and brother were both alcoholics and he himself drank heavily until he took a vow of abstinence in 1847. These prints were published by David Bogue, who published most of Cruikshank’s works in the 1850s. David Bogue (1807–1856) was born in Scotland and moved to London in 1836. Bogue began working in Charles Tilt's bookshop as a publisher and bookseller in 1836 and became Tilt's partner in 1840. Bogue bought the shop in 1843. He was the principle publisher of Cruikshank’s short-lived periodicals, brief illustrated stories, and the Comic Almanack 1835-53. David Bogue published The Bottle series in 1847. Bogue suffered from heart disease and died in 1856 at the age of 48
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1847
maker
Cruikshank, George
publisher
Bogue, David
ID Number
DL.60.2911
catalog number
60.2911
accession number
228146

The Bottle: Plate IV. Unable To Find Employment...designed and etched by George Cruikshank and published by David Bogue

This black and white etching is fourth of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking.
Description
This black and white etching is fourth of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. This print depicts a mother, father and older daughter standing outside a wine and spirits shop while the barefoot son begs a mother with her two children for alms in the street. The grief-stricken mother holds an ailing baby while the father determinedly pockets a bottle of liquor and another little girl inside the store grabs for a bottle. In the background is a cemetery foretelling a sad future. This series is a folio edition. On the reverse of Plate I. is the title page of the series and an inscription from the artist, including the cost of one shilling or six shillings for prints block tinted for shading on finer paper. The series is contained in a portfolio.
This series of prints is by the English artist George Cruikshank (1792-1878). Cruikshank’s father, Isaac Cruikshank, was an artist who specialized in song sheets and caricatures and trained George and his brother Robert Cruikshank in these arts. George started as a caricaturist for magazines and children’s books. His most famous works included The Bottle and The Drunkard’s Children, designed and etched by Cruikshank to show the wickedness of alcohol. Cruikshank's father and brother were both alcoholics and he himself drank heavily until he took a vow of abstinence in 1847. These prints were published by David Bogue, who published most of Cruikshank’s works in the 1850s. David Bogue (1807–1856) was born in Scotland and moved to London in 1836. Bogue began working in Charles Tilt's bookshop as a publisher and bookseller in 1836 and became Tilt's partner in 1840. Bogue bought the shop in 1843. He was the principle publisher of Cruikshank’s short-lived periodicals, brief illustrated stories, and the Comic Almanack 1835-53. David Bogue published The Bottle series in 1847. Bogue suffered from heart disease and died in 1856 at the age of 48.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1847
maker
Cruikshank, George
publisher
Bogue, David
ID Number
DL.60.2913
catalog number
60.2913
accession number
228146

The Bottle: Plate VI. Fearful Quarrels, and Brutal Violence Are the Natural Consequences of the Frequent Use of the Bottle by George Cruikshank and published by David Bogue

This black and white etching is sixth of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. This print is an interior scene of a man attacking his wife. Their son and daughter are trying to intervene.
Description
This black and white etching is sixth of eight scenes drawn by George Cruikshank depicting the progressive degeneration of a family due to the evils of drinking. This print is an interior scene of a man attacking his wife. Their son and daughter are trying to intervene. Another woman, maybe a neighbor, is entering the room in the background. This series is a folio edition. On the reverse of Plate I. is the title page of the series and an inscription from the artist, including the cost of one shilling or six shillings for prints block tinted for shading on finer paper. The series is contained in a portfolio.
This series of prints is by the English artist George Cruikshank (1792-1878). Cruikshank’s father, Isaac Cruikshank, was an artist who specialized in song sheets and caricatures and trained George and his brother Robert Cruikshank in these arts. George started as a caricaturist for magazines and children’s books. His most famous works included The Bottle and The Drunkard’s Children, designed and etched by Cruikshank to show the wickedness of alcohol. Cruikshank's father and brother were both alcoholics and he himself drank heavily until he took a vow of abstinence in 1847. These prints were published by David Bogue, who published most of Cruikshank’s works in the 1850s. David Bogue (1807–1856) was born in Scotland and moved to London in 1836. Bogue began working in Charles Tilt's bookshop as a publisher and bookseller in 1836 and became Tilt's partner in 1840. Bogue bought the shop in 1843. He was the principle publisher of Cruikshank’s short-lived periodicals, brief illustrated stories, and the Comic Almanack 1835-53. David Bogue published The Bottle series in 1847. Bogue suffered from heart disease and died in 1856 at the age of 48.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1847
maker
Cruikshank, George
publisher
Bogue, David
ID Number
DL.60.2915
catalog number
60.2915
accession number
228146

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