Mrs. Elijah Boardman and her Son, William Whiting Boardman

Following the birth of their child Wiliam in 1774, merchant Elijah Boardman commissioned itinerant painter Ralph Earl to portray his wife, Mary Anna Whiting, and son in their home in New Milford, Connecticut. The portrait celebrates domestic happiness and material abundance. Mrs. Boardman wears a fashionable silk dress. William holds a silver "corral and bells," a christening gift that served as rattle, whistle, teething aid, and amulet to ward off evil spirits. Through the window is the landscape around their home, portrayed in multiple paintings of the family by Earl, a symbol of the family's wealth and status.

Earl began painting portraits in Connecticut in 1774. Loyal to the British during the Revolution, he fled to London in 1778 and studied in Benjamin West's studio. In 1785, Earl returned to the United States, served two years in debtors' prison, and resumed a thriving career in Connecticut in 1788.