Art Analysis: The Mason Children

In the painting “The Mason Children,” we catch a glimpse at an era and style of living now foreign to modern day America. The painting, whose artist is unknown, portrays three young children, an older boy and two younger girls, dressed simply in black and white but with elements of luxury: The boy carries a silver plated cane, and the older of the two girls has a chinese silk fan, as well as a necklace of red beads. This painting, in many ways, is a wonderful representation of life for the early Puritan colonists of New England.
While many of the colonists of other parts of the “New World” were expeditions headed by rich young white men in the hopes of conquest, the Puritan colony contained not just men, but entire families, including young

children, as is represented by the painting. The reason for this relocation of many Puritan families was due to religious purposes, Puritans were often harassed and unable to practice their belief system in England, where the Catholic Church was prominent and intolerant of other beliefs. These religious tensions lead to the exodus of puritans, and the promise of a world where they could practice Puritan beliefs in peace was largely appealing.
Unlike the colonies of Virginia, who struggled to stay afloat during their early years, the Puritan colonies (what is now modern day Boston), were wildly successful. They grew exponentially, thanks to the families living there, and by the 17th Century the population had grown to 120 thousand people, by the sixth year of people living in the colony, they had established a school for the children to attend. The people of the town lived simply, as is evidenced by the children’s plain clothes in the painting. However, though these people lived simply, the business of the town was booming, with the coastal nature of Boston producing resources such a fish and lumber, which could be consumed, or traded for other goods. Trade was also prominent, with around 300 ships in the Boston docks. All of these elements lead to New England becoming the globally recognized region it is today.