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Schoolgirl Art

Fire screen, 2007.24.502, 7.5" x 10.75", by Mary Hawks, 1816-17. Image courtesy of Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association/Memorial Hall Museum.

About this Image

Mary Hawks painted this hand fire screen (missing its handle) while a pupil at Deerfield Academy. A woman would use a fire screen to shield her face from the heat of a fire in a fireplace. Pictured is Highbury House, the home of Alexander Aubert, who lived in London, England. He was particularly interested in astronomy, and can be seen in this image on his roof looking through a telescope.