Portrait of Sally McKee
Portrait of Sally McKee
Portrait of Sally McKee

Portrait of Sally McKee

Object number86.1.263
Artist
Date1816
Mediumoil on canvas
Credit LineHeinz History Center Collection
DescriptionFramed oil painting. Portrait of a young woman with curly hair held in ribbons, wearing black ball gown with black lace stole. Ornate deep gilt wood with decorated edge and foliate cornersDimensions28.9999 x 23 in. (73.7 x 58.4 cm)
SignedLR: A. Parks Pinx.1816
Label TextBorn in 1797 to John McKee, founder of McKeesport, Sally grew up in a world where slavery and indenture were commonplace. Her father had two slaves listed in the 1790 census-one of them may have been Peter Cosco, whose freedom paper is displayed here. Facing financial difficulties in the late 1790s, John McKee lost his home and belongings to sheriff's sale in 1798 including. '...horses, cows, sheep stills, Negros, and household furniture," After her father's death Sally lived in the household of her late uncle David Redick, who had been a prominent politician. Census records show that Redick had one slave in 1790 and had African Americans, probably indentured, living in the household in 1800 and 1810. Later, Sally married Dr. Joseph McDowell and moved to Mobile, Alabama.
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