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Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl
American, ca. 1785-1838
In my previous post, I criticized the Broadwell "family portrait" saying that the couple's children:
...following their role model father's slump, are sprawled all over their parents, rather than sitting up straight on the sofa.Perhaps I'm being a little harsh. Young children these days appear much less rigid than in previous eras. It is normal for them to appear in this informal, very casual and emotive manner, whether posing for a family photograph or sitting at home watching television. But I made my assessment on the Broadwell family portrait (I should probably call it the Broadwell family snapshot) based on Paula Broadwell's dress, where she is clearly wearing more formal clothing than her husband and one son, while the other son is wearing a formal long sleeved shirt. This made me wonder where, and why, this photo was taken. Perhaps she had to come up with a decent photograph of her family, and this was the best she could do, where at least she (and one son) appear presentable.
At the top of this post is a nineteenth century painting of a family portrait. The affection between the family members is gently portrayed with the son's hand on his father's knee, who has a protective hand on his son's shoulder. The mother is more demonstrative, holding close her younger son. Although the family looks stern, the younger son is allowed a more carefree pose and is holding a hat (his hat?) filled with fruit. Even the sofa is formal and upright, unlike the cushiony seating in which the Broadwell family lounges. One gets the impression that this family has some decorum it maintains, even when not posing for portraits.
Families can be affectionate and demonstrative without jarringly uncouth body positions, and overtly affectionate poses. And they can sit for formal portraits and still bring out their individuality and humanity.
I tried to find other portraits for the Broadwell family, and the one I've posted is the only one available with all the members together. I would think that Paula Broadwell approves of this portrait, since it is easily accessible online. If she hadn't found it appropriate for her family, she would have had it removed. Or she would have posted a better one (by better, I mean a more formal one).
I've made a similar study of various Obama family portraits, and compared them with other presidential portraits at this post. My verdict on the Obamas, based on their official portraits is:
The Obamas seem to just "let it all hang out."
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