Talking Objects: The Hatch Family: Brought to Life

Note: I put the parts of The Hatch Family that I reference along with each artifact for the ease of the reader.

The Hatch Family is a painting found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is a simple painting of a family of fifteen people lounging in the family library. However, the painting’s original purpose was likely to hang in the home of the Hatch family to remind those who entered how well off the Hatch family was, as many paintings have been used. The Hatch family was very prominent in New York during the late 19th century. The painting portrays the members of the family from Grandparents to children. The two parents in the image are Mr. Alfredrick Hatch and Mrs. Theodosia Hatch. The grandparents are Mr. Hatch’s parents. Mr. Alfredrick Hatch, who commissioned the painting from Eastman Johnson, worked on Wall Street during that time. There are many obvious clues within the image to suggest how rich the Hatch family was to any who may view it. However, there are also many more subtle clues to suggest it. Eastman Johnson, the painter, took much care and decision in choosing just what was in the painting. Eastman Johnson clearly wanted to show the prestige of the Hatch family through this painting and did so in every detail. Every item was carefully selected, from the clothes the family wore, down to the furniture in the room and the toys that the children were playing with.

Title: The Hatch Family

Artist: Eastman Johnson

Date: 1870 - 1871

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Museum Collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Hatch Family is a painting by Eastman Johnson, that shows a family lounging in the home’s library. Mr. Hatch, the father, seated behind the girl in pink, worked on Wall Street and commissioned this painting from Eastman Johnson. By simply viewing this artifact, a viewer may notice that the Hatch family is rather well off. However, there are even more subtle clues to just how well off this family is hidden in plain sight. For example, clues can be found in many things from the family’s clothes to the things that they own.

Title: Suit

Artist: Unknown

Date: 1865 - 1870

Medium: Wool, Silk, Cotton

Museum Collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art

This suit, found at the MET, appears similar in style to the suits that the father and son are wearing in The Hatch Family. However, it is much more similar to the one the son (far left behind the chair) is wearing. This shows how well off the Hatch family was by being a relatively new style at the time. The father is shown wearing a slightly old fashioned suit (1860s), while the son is dressed in the newest fashion (the suit shown). Implying that the Hatch family can purchase clothes on a whim (“1860 - 1869”). This is even more impressive by the fact that the suits are much darker colors, very fashionable and hard to obtain at the time. The suit shown is made out of very fine materials, such as silk, which would have been considered prestigious at that time.

Title: Dress

Artist: Unknown

Date: 1870 - 1875

Medium: Silk

Museum Collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art

This artifact, found in the MET, is similar in style and color to the daughter’s (to the far right) dress. However, there is one major difference between the two dresses. That is that the daughter’s dress is more saturated. The saturation and color of the original dress suggests that it is dyed via aniline dyes. Aniline dyes were fairly new technology at the time, only being discovered at most twenty years prior. These dyes lasted much longer than dyes that had been made prior to that time (FIT Student). The daughter also appears to be wearing a dress (similar to the artifact) that is a midway between the older fashioned dresses (like her mother’s or grandmother’s) and the new fashion of the time, princess line dresses (“1870 - 79”). Another factor that can play into how expensive such a dress would be is that it is likely made of silk, comparing the two in appearance.

Title: Dress

Artist: Unknown

Date: 1870

Medium: Silk

Museum Collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art

This artifact, located in the MET museum, is similar in style to the mother’s (located to the far right) dress. Both dresses have a large hoop skirt, wide sleeves, and one single ruffle in the skirt. These dresses are more old fashioned than the daughter’s dress, being more in fashion the decade before. It is a very simple dress, which would have been considered very appropriate for a married woman at the time. The original dress appears to have been dyed black, which was a color that was in high demand with little supply at the time. Black was also considered to be at the height of fashion during that time (Chiarello, Rose). The sleeves were also a popular choice around that time, having become a sort of classic choice. Pagoda sleeves had been in popularity since the 1850s and were still considered quite fashionable (“1860 - 1869”). And finally, like the other clothes, this item is made of silk, a fabric that was rather expensive.

Title: Armchair

Artist: Unknown

Date: Unknown

Medium: Mahogany, Velvet

Museum Collection: The American Civil War Museum

This chair, found in the American Civil War museum is very much like the one found in the far left of the painting in materials. Even though it is more elaborate, the materials are what make it expensive to own at the time. Velvet, at the time, was in high demand, and was only available via import. Not only that, but velvet required much skill to make (Watt, Melinda). Finally, velvet, throughout history, has been used as a symbol of the rich and noble (Modern Resale). So, by adding a large velvet chair to his painting, Eastman Johnson implies that the chair is very expensive and equates the Hatch family to nobility.

Title: Clock

Artist: Unknown

Date: 1792 - 1819

Medium: Gilt Bronze

Museum Collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art

This clock, found in the MET, is similar to the clock found in the far right of the painting, on top of the mantle. Both clocks have a small statue attached, and both appear to be made of bronze or a similar metal. Clocks at the time were extremely expensive to purchase, as the materials used in making the springs had not been discovered in America yet (“A Short History of the American Clock.”). There is also extra material used in the making of both of these clocks, since neither is just the clock. Adding the statues requires more material and work, making the overall clock more expensive. These may well be more subtle signs by Eastman Johnson as to how prestigious the Hatch family was at the time.

Title: HobbyHorse

Artist: Unknown

Date: 1850 - 1900

Medium: Wood, Leather, Fake Hair

Museum Collection: The American Civil War Museum

This hobbyhorse is similar to the toy horse found in the painting, however, the one in the painting is shown to have a wagon along with it. The horses are both made of wood (likely) and are painted. These are common features for toys at the time. A toy such as this was likely ordered custom or ordered from a catalogue (“Toys and More”). This was likely a very expensive process either way. Also, at that time a toy was seen as an extravagance, so being able to buy one for a child was almost a way of flaunting money in a more subtle way. It certainly showed that the family was not having any financial problems.

Title: Doll

Artist: Unknown

Date: Unknown

Medium: Wax, Cotton

Museum Collection: The American Civil War Museum

This doll from the American Civil War Museum is similar in style and material to the doll shown to the far left of the painting. However, the doll in the painting is more extravagant in that it has fancier clothes that go along with it, including: an undershirt, an underskirt, and a dress to go over it. The doll in the painting is glossy, so it is clearly not made of wood, thus likely being made of wax or porcelain. Though dolls were popular at the time, the toys were still an extravagance. There is even more extravagance in having a doll with even a small wardrobe. The viewer may not even see the entire wardrobe that the Hatch doll had.

Works Cited

Franklin, Harper. “1860 - 1869.” Fashion History Timeline, Fashion Institute of

Technology, 18 Aug 2020, https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1860-1869/. 10 Nov

2020.

Franklin, Harper. “1870 - 79.” Fashion History Timeline, Fashion Institute of

Technology, 18 Aug 2020, https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1870-1879/. 10 Nov

2020.

Chiarello, Rose. “1870 - Green Silk Day Dress with Tassel Trim.” Fashion History

Timeline, Fashion Institute of Technology, 2 Jul 2018,

https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1870-green-silk-day-dress/. 10 Nov 2020.

FIT Student. “Aniline Dyes.” Fashion History Timeline, Fashion Institute of

Technology, 8 Aug 2019, https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/aniline-dyes/. 10 Nov