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(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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Commentaries on women, men and marriage were popular themes for 19th century illustrations, which often decorated parlor or sitting room walls. Artemas Alden of Barre, Massachusetts, chose to illustrate "Stages of Woman's Life from infancy to the brink of grave." The caption, "The virtuous woman is a crown to her husband" epitomizes the period's image of women as inculcators and preservers of domestic virtue. The hourglasses, clock, and stag remind viewers of their own fleeting mortality.

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