Faithful Playmate (1848?)
by
Samuel West
West (1810 - 1867) was an Irish painter noted primarily for his portraits, particularly of children, although he also had some repute as a painter of historical subjects. He is not to be confused with the 19th Century American painter Samuel S. West.
This painting received additional notice when it was engraved by the English engraver and printmaker T. W. Huffam (flourished 1825-1856) and published as a print in January 1849. Some photographers used it to produce cartes de visite, small photographs that became popular in the 1850s and which would be sent to friends — think early social media — or left at the house of someone a person went to visit.