Painting
- Title:
- Josiah Bartlett
- Object Name:
- Painting
- Object ID:
- 1938.009
- Creator:
- Slafter, Alonzo (1801-1864) -- Artist; Trumbull, John (1756-1843) -- Artist
- Date:
- circa 1840
- Description:
- Portrait of Josiah Bartlett (1729-1795), by Alonzo Slafter (1801-1864), c. 1840. Oil on canvas. Half length portrait of a man, facing slightly right. Sitter has long wavy brown hair; brown eyes. He is wearing a brown coat, brown waistcoat buttoned to neck, and white cravat. Brown background. Signed by the artist on canvas reverse lower right: "Painted by Alonzo Slafter. / from the Original Picture / by Col. Trumbull." Pencil inscription reverse center: "Copied by Alonzo Slafter / from Original by Trumbull." Pen and pencil inscription reverse top left: "Josiah Bartlett / Josiah Bartlett". Gilded gesso over molded wood frame with low-relief acanthus-style leaves.
- Material:
- Textile
Canvas - Dimensions:
- H-24 W-20 inches
- Provenance:
- The donor, Laura Hibbard (1866-1937), was the great-great-granddaughter of Josiah Bartlett. The portrait is a copy of an oil painting done by John Trumbull based on his 1790 pencil sketch. Trumbull's oil portrait was not purchased by the family until 1836-1837. The first owner was Josiah Bartlett (1768-1838) of Stratham, one of the subject's three sons. Extensive correspondence from the 1820s (see accession file for 1880.033) shows that the family's intention was to purchase one portrait from Trumbull and have it copied for various family members. In 1837 the possibility was mentioned of sending the portrait to Haverhill for examination by Ezra Bartlett, another of the subject's sons and the legator's great-grandfather. It is significant that Haverhill, NH, where Ezra lived is adjacent to Bradford, VT, where Alonza Slafter (1801-1864), the artist of this copy, lived. Slafter's copy was made either at this time for Ezra, or at a later date for the legator's branch of the family.
- Credit Line:
- Bequest of Laura B. Hibbard
- Subjects:
- Bartlett, Josiah, Portrait paintings, Portraits, Physicians, Medicine, Judges, Statesmen, Governors
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