Provenance

Possibly Ebenezer Coley (1741–1811) and Abigail Morehouse Coley (1744–1797), Fairfield, Conn., 1760s [see note 1]; by descent to their son and daughter-in-law Levi Coley (1777–1859) and Mary Hide Coley (1790–1871) [see note 2], Weston, Conn.; by descent to her granddaughter Catherine E. Coley Hewitt (1868–1925) [see note 3], Weston, Conn. Acquired by Frank MacCarthy (1893–1957), Longmeadow, Mass., by October 1929; sold to Francis P. Garvan (1875–1937), New York, October 4, 1929; given to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., 1930

Note 1: If the inscription "all of 125 years old in 1894" accurately reflects this looking glass' history of ownership, it probably was purchased by Ebenezer (1714–1811) and Abigail Morehouse Coley (1744–1797) of Fairfield, Conn., a few years after their marriage in 1763.

Note 2: The looking glass could have belonged to Mary Hide Coley's parents, David (1743–1820) and Lydia Sturges Coley (1755–1823), who were married in 1786 (Jacobus, Donald Lines. History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield. 3 vols. Fairfield, Connecticut: Daughters of the American Revolution, 1930-32., II, pp. 246, 251-252; Baptismal register, Weston Congregational Church Records, Conn. State Library, Hartford; Will of Catherine E. Hewitt, Westport Probate Court, Conn.).

Note 3: Frank MacCarthy, from whom Garvan purchased this looking glass on October 4, 1929, apparently acquired it from Catherine Hewitt's heirs; he noted on his bill to Garvan, "This mirror has always been in the possession of the Coley Family of Fairfield, Conn." (MacCarthy file, Francis P. Garvan. Correspondence, Related Papers, and Collection Files. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.).