Trained in Boston and New York, Jeremiah Hardy opened a studio in Bangor, Maine, in 1826. Bangor was the lumber capital of the United States in the 1830s and had many prosperous citizens who bought Hardy's paintings. He soon became wealthy enough to purchase land on the Penobscot River, which flowed through the town, and he built a comfortable home and planted an elaborate garden there.
In a composition adapted from the British Romantic tradition, Hardy included a luminous view of the river behind his wife and daughter in this portrait, creating a poetic atmosphere that transcends the middle-class setting. Mrs. Hardy is dressed soberly in black with a kerchief held in place by a cameo pin, while Anna Eliza wears soft white muslin. Mrs. Hardy holds pencil and paper and appears to be giving her daughter a drawing lesson. Anna Eliza also studied with her father and became an accomplished artist, painting portraits and still lifes as well as teaching many women students.
Soft light from the window suffuses the room and creates a glow around the heads of the two figures. Anna Eliza gazes affectionately at her mother and puts her hand on her knee. Hardy's skillful handling of light compensates for his somewhat provincial style, just as it transforms the rather plain features of his wife and daughter.

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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