Designed to display refinement and wealth, this large family portrait also represents this Maryland family’s political sympathies and ardent support of the new American nation. The placement of the family members’ hands directs the viewer’s gaze to a bust on the right of George Washington, who had recently been elected the first US president. Slightly larger in scale and higher in the composition, the former general is crowned with a laurel wreath to identify him with victory and the ideals of political freedom then associated with the Roman republic.

The painting reflects the compositions of Sir Peter Lely (1618–1680), a celebrated portrait painter for the British aristocracy.