The portraits by the itinerant deaf artist John Brewster open a window into the lives of New England’s merchant class. Here, the prosperous Danbury, Connecticut, shopkeeper, silversmith, and watchmaker Comfort Starr Mygatt poses with his five-year-old daughter, Lucy. The heart of the painting lies in their barely touching fingers. Stripping the scene of inessential detail, Brewster focuses attention on the unspoken bond between the relaxed father and the solemn little girl raising her hand to touch him. The emotion inherent in the gesture transcends the specifics of time and place.