Although John Francis is best known today as a still-life painter, he began his career painting portraits of prominent citizens of Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and other cities. Francis was influenced by the Romantic painter Thomas Sully, of Philadelphia, and gave his sitters the same bright eyes and rosy complexions that made Sully's portraits so popular, while portraying his subjects as less pretty and more down-to-earth.
Francis's "Three Children" is both charming and accomplished. The youngest child holds a rattle and has removed one of his or her socks. The engaging middle child on the right is dressed in a "skeleton suit," one of the first specialized garments worn by children and characterized by a high waist, long pantaloons, and copious buttons. His hat is in the left foreground. The oldest boy's yellow vest and black frock coat are more grown-up fashions; he lounges protectively beside his siblings. The luxurious surroundings proved a colorful setting for the unconventionally informal poses of the three children.
Francis showed this picture at the 1840 Artists' Fund Society exhibition in Philadelphia, where it served to advertise his painting skills. He clearly was successful in attracting patronage, for he earned a handsome income from his painting during his lifetime and his estate was valued at more than forty thousand dollars-a considerable sum-at his death.

This text was adapted from Carol Troyen and Janet Comey, "Children in American Art" (Nagoya/Boston Museum of Fine Arts, 2007, in Japanese).

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