Portraits of the Day: 03/10/26 (Fletcher, Hartwell, Empire Sofa Painter, Williams, Parks)
Recently, I’ve gotten into the habit of posting, on social media, a selection of portraits in need of re-attribution - or which have recently received new attributions! Here is the first group from March thus far. Please do stop over to the Facebook or Instagram pages if you’d like to have a look at these before they arrive on the blog.
- - -
Aaron Dean Fletcher / George G. Hartwell / The Empire Sofa Limner / Micah Williams / Joel Parks
- - -
AARON DEAN FLETCHER
My very first feature was Fletcher, whose fabulous portrait of a small baby I spotted by chance in Google Images. Recognizing it as his work immediately, I was surprised to see it misattributed to Asahel Powers, and delighted to discover a wealth of treasures in the Smithsonian History Museum in which this baby resides. Peculiarly, among a Powers-attributed group of the same Vermont family – the Griswolds, of Springfield, VT – two are by Fletcher, and the other two, in fact, were painted by Asahel Powers and his mysterious compatriot Rice. (I will try to figure out the nature of that connection some other time.) Despite the family link, Fletcher and Powers's styles are wildly distinctive. The fact that these two painters were somehow mixed up with each other is a testament to the crucial value of connoisseurship!
Portrait of the day: Mary Jane Griswold, attributable to Aaron Dean Fletcher, c. 1837. This charming portrait features all the traits and quirks that define Fletcher's 1830s work: strong lines, thick stylized clothing folds, and a sense of volume in the face and cheeks. The skeptical, suspicious sideways glance is characteristic of Fletcher's portrayal of his sitters - even children!
Source: Smithsonian National Museum of American History, erroneously attributed to Asahel Lynde Powers, 65.0892.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_311775
Compare: Portrait of Luthera Ann Adams, by Aaron Dean Fletcher, 1837, at Old Sturbridge Village, 20.1.204.
https://digitalcollections.frick.org/digico/#/details/ContainerID/3107100173094/All
https://collections.osv.org/object-20-1-204
Compare: Portrait of a Child and Cat, attr. Aaron Dean Fletcher, c. 1835, formerly with Jewett-Berdan Antiques.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BEPqvKdb2/
Compare: Portrait of I.E. Chase, Aged Six, by Aaron Dean Fletcher, sold at Northeast Auctions Aug 01, 2009, #478.
https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/aaron-dean-fletcher-american-1817-1902-three-478-c-74d0714589
- - -
GEORGE G. HARTWELL
A hot topic recently due to my upcoming essay with Dr. Paul D’Ambrosio for Americana Insights, Hartwell was the obvious pick for an early feature. There are countless unattributed Hartwells in countless museums that I could have chosen, but his half-length portrait of a girl at the Smith College Museum of Art is among the best and most distinctive. Most of Hartwell’s recognizable portraits are either full-length children or small-format adults, with less range represented in between, so this one is especially important. I did notify the museum of the Hartwell connection at one point, but, quite possibly, they are in need of further documentation to solidify the re-attribution proposal. If so, I hope this will suffice.
Portrait of the day: George G. Hartwell's "Portrait of a Young Girl," c. 1850. Once thought to be the work of William Matthew Prior, this work can be decisively attributed to Hartwell instead. This painting likely represents Hartwell's mid-career 1850s era, with a more complex composition and larger scale. Telltale artistic quirks include swooping, graceful dark curved lines, as seen on the dress; a diagonal arm pose in child portraits, crossing over the body; and the unique "flying rose" with leaves on either side of the loosely sketched flower.
Source: Smith College Art Museum, Portrait of a Young Girl, once attributed to William Matthew Prior, no. SC 1990.5.17. https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/api/permalink/object/2000801
Compare: Portrait of a Child from the Walker Family of Concord, NH, George G. Hartwell, c. 1850, formerly with Janet Fleisher Gallery in Philadelphia c. 1994, now Fleisher/Ollman. https://www.fleisher-ollmangallery.com/exhibitions/american_life
Compare: Portrait of a New England Family, George G. Hartwell, via Schorsch & Smiles Fine Americana. https://americanantiqueart.com/product/exceptional-triple-family-portrait/
Compare: Portrait of a Boy, Aged 12, attributed to George G. Hartwell, in the Historic New England collection, no. 1948.710. https://www.historicnewengland.org/explore/collections-access/gusn/54854
- - -
THE EMPIRE SOFA PAINTER
The “Empire Sofa Painter” is one of those limners that I always intended to get around to documenting more formally. But there are so very many things to do, and so many artists to write about, and I simply never have had the chance. This is a complicated one. The artist’s presence is far more than a hunch, but falls short of true article-worthy Limner status. The pool of available information has not coalesced into anything resembling a chronology. It was only by chance, through a Find-a-grave profile image, that we know the artist’s location. Nevertheless, this painter does exist. They can, and should, be recognized. And so – although one hates to debut scholarship through social media – it became a natural choice to post.
Portrait of the day: Gentleman with Paper and Quill, by a currently anonymous limner, nicknamed the Empire Sofa Painter. This group of portraits are occasionally mistaken for Sheldon Peck, but the paintings are a style all their own. Nearly all of these pieces are rendered on a specifically large canvas (36 x 28 or 34 x 28), usually seated on a distinctive red sofa. Figures tend to have gangly long arms and politely posed, stiffly realistic, hands. Faces are intensely over-modeled, a la Milton Hopkins, with wry but likeable expressions. Once you recognize them, they are hard to miss.
Based on a recent discovery of a West Lowville, NY, sitter, a New York location is highly likely. More research to follow. Thoughts and suggestions are welcomed!
Source: Christie's, Portrait of a Gentleman with Paper and Quill, sold Jan 25 2010, #156, as American School, 19th Century. 34.25 x 27.75 in.
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-5286777
All the known probable Empire Sofa Painter pieces: https://www.pinterest.com/paintingsworthlookingat/the-empire-sofa-painter/the-empire-sofa-painter/
Compare: Portrait of a Woman on a Red Upholstered Empire Sofa, sold at Pook & Pook Oct 4, 2019, #408, artist unknown. 38 x 28.25 in.
https://live.pookandpook.com/online-auctions/pook/oil-on-canvas-portrait-of-a-woman-1501771
Compare: Portrait of Mr. Bush, together with a Portrait of Mrs. Bush, at James D. Julia, Aug. 25-28, 2015, then attributed to Sheldon Peck. 36.5 x 28.5 in.
https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/LotDetail.aspx?inventoryid=430495
Compare: Portrait of Sally (Salmon) Rogers, of West Lowville, New York, in the collection of the Lowville Free Library, dimensions currently unknown.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/64999929/sally-rogers#view-photo=210695526
- - -
MICAH WILLIAMS
The National Gallery of Art features several unattributed, yet obviously attributable, child portraits (stay tuned for Samuel Miller, Joel Parks, and George Gassner). However, its superb Micah Williams went unrecognized until my recent perusal of their “American 19th century” search. I reached out to the Micah Williams expert, Bernadette Rogoff, to confirm, and she was delighted to see a new one turn up. I so appreciate that attitude and philosophy among scholars; although it’s frustrating to have another addition to the artist’s oeuvre once you think you’ve found them all, it’s far outweighed by the excitement of having another painting for the list! Unfortunately, it is difficult to change attributions at the NGA. But one never knows what might happen.
Little Miss Wyckoff, at the National Gallery of Art, is newly attributable to Micah Williams. This portrait, with its New Jersey provenance, perfectly fits Williams's history, as well as his visual trademarks. Look for well-rendered pursed lips, arched brows, and remarkably detailed dark eye lashes. The sitters' clothing tends to be flatter and more minimally drawn than Williams's elaborate faces.
Miss Wyckoff's exquisite backdrop and elaborate scene-staging make this especially uncommon and superb work, especially as an oil painting. Micah Williams's oils are often overlooked in favor of his attention-grabbing pastels, but he was equally proficient, and prolific, in both.
Many thanks to Micah Williams scholar Bernadette Rogoff, director of collections at Monmouth County Historical Association, NJ, for confirming the proposed attribution. Bernadette added: "The face, composition, and handling of shading, coloration, and so on strongly resembles other oils of our good friend Mr. Williams. What a find!"
Source: Little Miss Wyckoff, presently listed as American 19th Century, oil on canvas, at the National Gallery of Art in DC, cat. no. 1953.5.62.
https://www.nga.gov/artworks/42465-little-miss-wyckoff
Compare: Girl in White with Cherries, by Micah Williams, oil on canvas, at Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers, no. 59.012.001.
https://zimmerli.emuseum.com/objects/51246/girl-in-white-with-cherries
Compare: Jane Lott Ayers in a Pink Dress, by Micah Williams, pastel on paper, at the Princeton University Art Museum, no. x1962-290.
https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/art/collections/objects/9934
Compare: Lady with Jewels and Paisley Shawl, attributed to Micah Williams, oil on canvas, sold at Sotheby's Americana, Jan 20, 2024, #274.
- - -
JOEL PARKS
A perennial favorite of mine, Joel Parks’s portraits are profoundly underrepresented in museums. It was particularly satisfying to be able to change that. A long time ago, I spotted a John Tolman (Burpee-Conant Limner) portrait in the Chrysler Museum, and reached out to American folk portrait scholars Mike and Suzy Payne for confirmation. They agreed, I passed the word along to the curator, and somewhere along the way, the topic of an “Erastus Salisbury Field” painting came up. It was clearly not Field; that was evident to all of us. The “Field” attribution was removed, and it remained unknown. Until, finally, at long last, I had studied Joel Parks enough that the pieces fit into place! I recognized her. Everything clicked. A new attribution was added. Today, Mr. Parks has the benefit of being featured by name in a prominent museum collection. It’s about time.
Today's portrait, "Woman in a Frilled Lace Cap," at the Chrysler Museum, has recently been re-attributed to Joel Parks. Once an obscure and underrated painter, Parks is now receiving renewed attention for his elaborate and delicate portraits. He was active c. 1830-50 in Tioga County, NY, and Sheshequin, PA. Parks's portraits of women are most recognizable for their rounded faces, demurely crossed hands, and opaque, detailed treatment of lace eyelets.
Source: Portrait of a Woman in a Frilled Lace Cap, Chrysler Museum, no. 74.6.2. https://chrysler.emuseum.com/objects/10240/woman-in-frilled-lace-cap
Read more about Joel Parks on the wiki: https://americanfolkportraits.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:Joel_Parks
Compare: Portrait of Rachel Shipman, signed by Joel Parks, formerly with Schorsch & Smiles Fine Americana. https://americanfolkportraits.miraheze.org/wiki/JPA.SCH.0001
Compare: Portrait of Olive Burr, signed by Joel Parks, sold at Sotheby's Jan 23, 2015, #950. https://americanfolkportraits.miraheze.org/wiki/JPA.SOT.01232015.950
Compare: Portrait of Hannah Parks Snyder, at Tioga Point Museum. https://americanfolkportraits.miraheze.org/wiki/JPA.TIO.0004
Comments
Post a Comment