Mrs. Benedict Arnold and Daughter, c. 1783—89

Mrs. Benedict Arnold and Daughter, c. 1783—89
by
Thomas Lawrence (1769—1830)

Pastel on gouache paper. Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collection, Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent, Philadelphia, PA.

Peggy Shippen (1760 - 1804), daughter of Edward Shippen — a moderate Loyalist who later became Chief Justice of Pennsylvania from 1799 to 1805 — married Benedict Arnold, 20 years her senior, when she was 18.

Pictured with her is either their only daughter, Sophia Matilda Arnold (b. 1785), or, since young boys also wore dresses at that time, possiblly it is their son, Edwin Shippen Arnold (b. 1780).

In the fall of 1775 Congress chose brown as the original color for the national uniform. In October 1778, however, France sent uniforms with a predominance of blue coats (although there were also brown), and so on 2 October 1779 Congress switched to blue as the official color.

— Michael Stephenson
Patriot Battles: How the War of Independence Was Fought (2007)