Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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Wishing everybody a wonderful holiday season and many good things to come in the new year! Apologies for the silence - I've been working on a very large project (portraiture, naturally) which is still very much incomplete, but, I hope, will be worth the wait. Until then: it's been a pleasure to get to know so many incredible people in the world of American folk art - collectors and experts and curators alike. I appreciate each and every one of you, so very much. See you all in 2025 :)  

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Misattribution Musical Chairs (Various Artists)

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What's your favorite Joseph Whiting Stock portrait? Maybe his charming niece and nephew? How about the one he painted after his death? - - - The girl on the left was sold as “Attributed to Joseph Whiting Stock (American, 1815-1855)” with much pomp and circumstance. It provides some wonderful catalog copy analyzing Stock’s difficulty with perspective, which I’m still very fond of, even if the attribution is dead wrong. Pun not intended. Guess what: the auction record for the identical companion portrait, the girl on the right , surfaced recently.
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Eminently Artful? (Deacon Robert Peckham)

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The art of resemblance is a tricky one. People don’t like being committed to memory in an unflattering likeness (just ask any photographer). Historically, artists often chose to enhance a person’s appearance, smoothing out any blemishes and modifying their features for the better. Most frequently, portraits aspired towards whatever the contemporary ideal of conventional beauty happened to be, which varied widely over time and culture. However, the underlying principle is the same: Don’t make them look bad.
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"In Behalf of Oppressed Humanity" Transcript (Deacon Robert Peckham)

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Here's the transcript of my talk for the John Greenleaf Whittier Birthplace about Deacon Robert Peckham, "In Behalf of Oppressed Humanity." Many thanks to Whittier Birthplace director  Kaleigh Paré Shaughnessy, and everyone who attended.  Links are available here: Presentation Slides / Video . The transcript is verbatim (made with Turboscribe ); brackets indicate edits for clarity. This is a bit longer than most blog articles - thanks for reading, if you do! - - -
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Deacon Robert Peckham Virtual Lecture: “In Behalf of Oppressed Humanity”

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I’m delighted to announce that I’ve been asked to give an online lecture on Deacon Robert Peckham’s life and works, by the Whittier Birthplace, home of John Greenleaf Whittier, Peckham’s famous portrait subject. Among other new discoveries, I will be unveiling Peckham’s letters to John Quincy Adams, America’s 6th president. It is on February 27, 7pm Eastern time. Zoom registration is required, but it is free. I hope to see you there! - - - Sign-up link: http://bit.ly/peckhamwhittier or https://www.whittierbirthplace.org/events/zfj3f4a5ezsbsc7f5ba847cb7wp277   
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The Chapbook Children (Jonas Welch Holman, Lyman Parks, and Deacon Robert Peckham)

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This story starts with an entirely different painting, by an entirely different artist. It arrives at the right answer despite itself. - - - PART I. THE MIX-UP - - - I first encountered this charming double portrait on an online auction site, allegedly sold as the work of Deacon Robert Peckham. It’s a lovely folk depiction of children in an interior, which, in all fairness, was Peckham’s specialty. As is typical for the style and era, they’re bright, alert, and look like they know too much. Notably, the props include a chapbook (a small printed pamphlet book for children) and a rose.
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