Visitors to the McGuffey House & Museum are often transfixed by the portrait of the young Caroline Virginia Rich McGuffey. It is hard not to be impressed by the soft beauty of both the portrait and the woman it depicts. Turning to the mantle, a visitor sees a work of art by McGuffey: a light green vase painted with colorful, realistic pansies and foliage. However, there is more to her artistic story.
Caroline was married to Alexander Hamilton McGuffey, the younger brother of William Holmes McGuffey who accompanied him to Oxford in 1826. The couple had six children. Along the way, McGuffey was a productive artist.
Based on the piece on display in our museum, one might assume that Caroline continued to create lifelike depictions of nature throughout her art career. However, a look at the three pieces held by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, shows that her style evolved over time.
By paging through the above gallery of the pieces held at Cooper Hewitt, one can see that McGuffey continued to create natural scenes, but she expanded into a whimsical style with beings of her own creation.
Cooper Hewitt received these vases from a donor in memory of Sarah McGuffey, likely Caroline’s daughter. Remembering the McGuffey family is something that Cooper Hewitt and the McGuffey Museum share through Caroline Virginia Rich McGuffey’s work.