Silhouette

Title:

Henry Dearborn

Object Name:

Silhouette

Object ID:

2019.033

Creator:

Hubard, William J. (1807-1862)Artist

Place of Origin:

Boston, MA

Date:

1825

Description:

Portrait silhouette of Henry Dearborn (1751-1829). Ink drawing on paper. Attributed to William J. Hubard (1807-1862), Boston, MA, 1825. Standing profile of man facing left, holding a cane in his right hand and a hat in his left hand. Gilded gesso on wood frame, glazed. "Gen. Henry Dearborn / owned by Mary G. Ray" written in ink on paper label attached to back of frame.

Material:

Paper

Dimensions:

H-10.2 W-7.9 inches

Provenance:

William J. Hubard created this portrait of Henry Dearborn, who was retired and living in nearby Roxbury, when he worked in Boston for four months starting in November 1825. Based on an ink inscription on the back of the frame, by the early 20th century the silhouette was owned by Mary G. Ray (1846-1917), the great-great granddaughter of General Dearborn.
American soldier and statesman Henry Dearborn (1751-1829) was born to Simon Dearborn and Sarah Marston in North Hampton, NH. During the Revolutionary War, Dearborn served under General Benedict Arnold in the expedition to Quebec. After being captured and exchanged in September 1777, Dearborn was transferred to the 1st New Hampshire Regiment under Colonel Joseph Cilley. He took part in the Saratoga campaign against General Burgoyne's forces at Freeman's Farm. Serving in the Continental Army, he fought at the Battle of Monmouth, NJ, in 1778, following the British evacuation of Philadelphia. In the summer of 1779 he accompanied General John Sullivan on the Sullivan Expedition against the Iroquois in upstate New York. Dearborn rejoined General Washington's staff in 1781 as deputy quartermaster general and commanded the 1st New Hampshire Regiment at the Battle of Yorktown with the rank of colonel.

In 1783, after discharge from the Continental Army, Dearborn settled in Gardiner, Maine, where he served as a Major General in the militia. President Washington appointed him U.S. Marshal of the District of Maine. After moving to Massachusetts, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1793 to 1797. He was also a founding member of the New Hampshire Society of the Cincinnati. He served as the Secretary of War under Thomas Jefferson from 1801 to 1809, and as a commanding general in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812. He was appointed Minister to Portugal by President James Monroe and served from 1822 to 1824. Returning to the United States in 1824, Dearborn retired to his farm in Roxbury, MA. He served as a guest and speaker at July 4th celebrations and public dinners in the Boston area until his death in 1829.

William James Hubard, known popularly as "Master Hubard," was born in Whitchurch, Shropshire, England, in 1807. In his childhood, Hubard displayed a talent for rapidly cutting profile likenesses. He was brought to America by a manager in 1824 and toured major American cities displaying likenesses of famous figures and cutting silhouettes for sale. Hubard arrived in Boston in early November, 1825, and presented "Exhibitions of the Panharmonicon and Papyrotomia, at the Hubard Gallery," at Julien Hall, corner of Congress and Milk Streets, Boston. In addition to drawing and cutting silhouettes, he displayed a gallery of landscapes, portraits, busts, flowers, and animals he had created. Music, poetry readings, and art displays were also presented at the gallery through the end of March, 1826. At the urging of Gilbert Stuart, Hubard eventually gave up silhouette cutting for oil painting. He spent several years in Philadelphia and Baltimore, finally marrying and settling in Gloucester, Virginia. In 1841 Hubard moved to Richmond, where he established a foundry and lived until his death from an explosion in 1862.

Credit Line:

New Hampshire Historical Society Purchase, Katharine Prentis Murphy Fund

People:

Dearborn, Henry (1751-1829), Hubard, William J. (1807-1862)

Subjects:

Silhouettes