Rebecca Bonum Eskridge

Accession number: 1914.7

Rebecca Bonum Eskridge (d. 1715) was a member of the gentry class, but not until well into the 1700s was that class fully self-confident, exuberant, or ostentatious. There is a tentativeness in her eyes that reflects the harsh world of the 1600s—its sudden and often early death, economic fluctuations, and civil unrest. She knew life was too brief to be wasted, and she was determined to enjoy the comforts conferred by a good marriage—to George Eskridge of Westmoreland County—for whom George Washington was named. The artist is unknown.

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