Painting
- Title:
- Nathaniel Bouton
- Object Name:
- Painting
- Object ID:
- 2017.019
- Place of Origin:
- Concord, NH
- Date:
- circa 1825
- Description:
- Miniature portrait of Nathaniel Bouton (1799-1878) of Concord, NH, c. 1825. Unidentified artist. Watercolor on paper. Vertical rectangle. Bust-length profile portrait. Inscribed in ink on wooden backboard: "N. Bouton / Nathaniel Bouton / Norwalk Conn. / Pastor of First Cong. Church / Concord N H 42 years / 1825 to 1867 / Died 1878 / Age 78". Faint pencil inscription on back of portrait: "Blue Eyes / Light Hair / White / Vest". Framed, gilded gesso over pine, glazed.
- Material:
- Paper
- Dimensions:
- H-4.4 W-3.4 inches
- Provenance:
- Originally owned by Gen. Louis Bell and his wife Persis Ann Bouton of Chester. It was part of the contents of the Senator Samuel Bell Farm, Bell Hill, Chester purchased c. 1892 by William B. Underhill (1860-1942). Lois Hazelton purchased the portrait at the auction of Underhill's estate in 1942. Derry historian Richard Holmes purchased it from Lois Hazelton c. 2002. Holmes sold it to early in 2017 to Hercules J. Pappachristos of Derry, NH, who sold it to Michael R. Seward. Purchased at the New Hampshire Antiques Show, Manchester, August 11, 2017.
Born in Norwalk, CT, Nathaniel Bouton was the son of William and Sarah (Benedict) Bouton. Apprenticed as a printer, Bouton experienced a religious conversion in 1815 and decided to pursue a career in the ministry. After attending Yale College and Andover Theological Seminary, in 1825 Bouton accepted the call to serve as minister of the First Congregational Church of Concord, NH. Active in local, state and national religious affairs, Bouton served as Secretary, New Hampshire Colonization Society (1825); Chaplain, New Hampshire State Legislature (1826); Trustee, Dartmouth College (1840-1877); Vice President, Librarian, Corresponding Secretary, and President of the New Hampshire Historical Society; President, New Hampshire Missionary Society (1852-1858); President, Ministers' and Widows' Charitable Fund; Director, New Hampshire Bible Society; Director, New Hampshire Educational Society; Vice President, American Home Missionary Society; and Chaplain, New Hampshire State Asylum for the Insane (1867-1870). In 1867 he resigned from the church and served as the historian of the State of New Hampshire, editing 10 volumes of the provincial and state papers of New Hampshire for publication. Author of more than 46 books, essays, and sermons, he is best remembered for The History of Concord, From Its First Grant in 1725, to the Organization of the City Government in 1853 (1853). - Credit Line:
- New Hampshire Historical Society Purchase, Katharine Prentis Murphy Fund
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