This view of Rowland Stebbins of Deerfield, Massachusetts, was painted by an unidentified artist when the subject was about 35 years old. He is dressed in patterned waistcoat (vest), white shirt, and black coat and stock (the item around his neck). The background with a Greek column and red drapery is typical of classical influences seen in paintings of this time. Born deaf, Rowland and his sister Polly were sent to The Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1817, to be educated.