Amelia Jones purchased The Carpenter’s Son from American artist Edward Emerson Simmons in 1892. He was a distant relative, which may have been a factor in her decision to purchase the portrait. Simmons was one of the Ten American Painters, a splinter group of the Society of American Artists, and an important figure in America’s art movement.

Before being acquired by Amelia, The Carpenter’s Son was exhibited at venues in England and the United States, including the Royal Academy, and the Society of American Artists annual exhibition. After purchasing the painting, Amelia allowed it to be exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

After its purchase, Edward Simmons wrote to Amelia, alluding to the minor controversy his work created. The controversy stemmed from the humanized portrayal of Jesus, which deviated from the traditional Christian imagery.

In his memoir, From Seven to Seventy, Simmons wrote: “The picture, which I called The Carpenter’s Son, was a simple pose of one of my children in my studio. A blond boy with a light shining over his head sat dreaming, instead of sweeping out the shop, while his mother, in the back told his father what a worthless son he had begotten. The shavings had accidentally fallen in the form of a cross, and the light seemed to be a halo.”

Amelia Jones displayed The Carpenter’s Son in her music room here at 396 County Street. Her nieces and nephews vividly remembered “the great huge painting” that hung in the rear parlor.

Upon her death, the portrait was bequeathed to the First Unitarian Church in New Bedford. In 1996, while in the church’s possession, the painting was vandalized and the canvas slashed into several pieces. The most significant portion of the painting was lost until the fall of 2006 when it was discovered rolled up behind a refrigerator in the church basement. The church agreed to transfer the ownership of the painting to the RJD for $20,000.

Because its frame was damaged beyond repair, the portrait now rests in a new frame that resembles the original. In 2008, after 73 years, the fully restored painting was hung on the east wall of the parlor, occupying the same place it had during Amelia Jones’s residence.