Tag Archive

Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Esther Rittenhouse”

Stories Behind the Portraits: A Descendant of David Rittenhouse

In the Mystery of A Descendant of David Rittenhouse, to discover the names of both the sitter and the artist who painted the portrait,Fine Art Investigations researched the David Rittenhouse family history. What a history it turned out to be. Family history led to identification of the artist. What a character he turned out to be. Rittenhouse David Rittenhouse David Rittenhouse was …

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Fine Art Investigations

Researching 19th century American portraits while breaking for walks near the Pacific Ocean.

Fine Art Investigations

1 month ago

John Neagle is a favorite artist. Especially intriguing are his portrayals of children, which range from cloying to tender, yet always rife with emblematic detail.
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John Neagle Portrait Cupid Museum Provenance Risd Auction

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TYPE:John Neagle Portrait Cupid Museum Provenance RISD SUB TYPE:Art REGION:Painting SUB REGION:United States MEDIUM:Pennsylvania SGD/UNS:Neagle, John TI{ellipsis}

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Fine Art Investigations

5 months ago

Senator Boies Penrose snuck into today’s research on the book. The portraitist of the attached posthumous painting used artistic license liberally; the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee weighed 300 lbs. A biographer wrote, "The late Boies Penrose (1860-1921), born to wealth and position in Philadelphia, Harvard-educated, wanted to be a leader but disliked respectable people. So he went into politics. A big fellow (6 ft. 4 in.) with big appetites, a cold heart, a shrewd head, he took to low life like a hippopotamus to water." Ironically he is best known for the phrase, "Public office is…
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Fine Art Investigations

8 months ago

Apologies for long absence…health issues are now resolved but am catching up on a backlog of many months. One project is a commissioned life story of a portrait subject. She or her family touched the lives of many prominent Americans. One, was New Jersey Governor Joseph Bloomfield (1753–1823) whom Charles Willson Peale portrayed in 1777. The portrait diverges from the usual C. W. Peale depiction. At first glance, I thought one of the patriarch’s relatives was the artist, but an anecdote about the man reveals the painting to be one of Charles Willson Peale’s best in expressing character. The anecdote by Charles Biddle: “The Governor is a worthy man, but he is too much influenced by his wish to keep well with all parties. This is hardly possible to do; almost every man who attempts it is called a trimmer, and often loses his consequence with all parties.”Never having seen the word “trimmer” used in this context, I looked it up: “a person who adapts their views to the prevailing political trends for personal advancement.” From facial expression to pose, Peale visualized the definition in his portrait of Bloomfield. Charles Willson Peale, Joseph Bloomfield, 1777 Oil on Canvas, 30 x 25 inchesPrivate Collection
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Fine Art Investigations

8 months ago

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Fine Art Investigations

9 months ago

Before electric lighting, when rooms were illuminated by sunlight and candles, the gilded framed served a very important purpose: it was a perpetual source of light in dark interiors. The best way to make a painting glow was to surround it with a golden edge, one that could reflect and enhance whatever light was available."Deborah Davis, "The Secret Lives of Frames: One Hundred Years of Art and Artistry" (Filipacchi publishing, 2007), 24.Reverse ogee frame, ca. 1660 (Naples)Poplar, marbleized base, carved and gilded frame, 30 11/16 × 25 13/16 inchesMetropolitan Museum of Art, Robert Lehman Collection, 1975, 1975.1.2133Public Domain
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