Mary Chiswell Lewis (Mrs. Warner Lewis II, 1748?-1776)

Mary Chiswell Lewis was the daughter of Colonel John Chiswell and Elizabeth Randolph Chiswell. She married Warner Lewis II of Warner Hall. The portrait descended with her husband’s portrait and her brother-in-law James Lewis‘s portrait in the family of James Lewis’s daughter. It is unclear where the portraits originally hung or were painted. However, Warner Hall is a likely site.

Dimensions: 31 x 26 in. (78.74 x 66.04 cm.)

The subject wears a blue dress with open seams in the bodice and jeweled clasps or buttons on the bodice and sleeves. A sheer scarf with gold embroidery is attached at her neckline and wraps around her body. She wears a black cord necklace and has pearls in her hair. She sits in an upholstered chair with her left elbow resting on a wooden table.

See: Colonial Williamsburg eMuseum