History, Art
A Shocking Miniature and a Mysterious Connection
The story of Sarah Goodridge and Daniel Webster
I discovered Sarah Goodridge by candlelight in a century-old colonial while listening to the heartbeat of a summer storm. Considering the nature of Ms. Goodridge, the setting seems uncannily appropriate.
Earlier that day I had been walking my dog when I noticed the stone marker on the front lawn of the house next door. I must have passed that stone dozens of times since I had moved to Templeton, Massachusetts a year and a half earlier. But I had never actually bothered to stop and read the plaque bolted to the stone. This time I did:
Goodridge Homestead
Erected in 1775 by Ebenezer Goodridge
Birthplace of Talented Templeton Family
Sarah Goodridge (1788–1853), a renowned miniature
portrait painter of Boston, a pupil of Gilbert Stuart
William Goodridge (1777–1835), built virtually every
church organ in Boston between 1805 and 1832.
For the rest of the day, I forgot about the plaque and went about my usual routine: changing diapers, making the pretense of cleaning, attempting to get more food into my daughter’s…
