Maternity, 1784, Red chalk on thin off-white laid paper, mounted on off-white laid paper, 14 5/16 x 11 9/16 in. (36. 4 x 29. 4 cm), Drawings, Benjamin West (American, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 1738?1820 London), West was a prolific painter of historical scenes and a tireless draftsman, but seldom did he lavish such care on a drawing as he did here. For West, this work is unusual for its allegorical subject, Caritas (Charity), or Maternal Love, whose long tradition was briefly revived in the late eighteenth century, prompted by the popularity of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's writings on the mother's primary role in childhood education