Boy in Brown Jacket, by William Lewis, Circa 1825

A charming American portrait miniature of a young boy with blond hair and brown eyes, wearing a brown jacket and pants with a cream-colored shirt, against a sky background. The portrait is set in the original gilt pendant frame, the front with a cast foliate rim and the reverse with intricate embossing surrounding a glazed aperture holding braided hair.

William Lewis (1788-after 1838) was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and worked there as a painter of portraits and miniatures until 1821, when he moved to Boston to continue his practice. He married Dorothy Skinner in 1812. During these years he made frequent trips back to Salem, and also painted in Rhode Island in the early 1820s. He exhibited still lifes, portraits, and miniatures at the Boston Athenaeum in 1828 and 1831, and at the Boston Mechanic's Association in 1831. Miniatures by him can be found at the Essex Institute in Salem, and the Rhode Island Historical Society in Providence.

Dimensions: 2 ½ x 2 inches.

Gentleman and Watch Fob, Signed by John Brewster, Jr., Circa 1805

An American portrait miniature of a gentleman with brown eyes and brown hair, wearing a navy blue coat with brass buttons, against a light blue background. The painting is signed at the lower right: Brewster, and is set in the original gold pendant frame, the reverse with brightwork surrounding an aperture holding glazed brown silk. The miniature is held in a red leather traveling case, and is accompanied by a gold watch fob holding a lock of brown hair, also set in a leather traveling case.

One of America's most important folk artists, John Brewster, Jr. (1766-1854), was born in Hampton, Connecticut, a seventh-generation descendant of Mayflower voyager and Plymouth Colony elder William Brewster, and the third son of Dr. John and Mary Brewster. Born a deaf-mute, he studied with Reverend Joseph Steward, a Connecticut artist, and in 1796 moved to Buxton, Maine, to live with his brother, Dr. Royal Brewster. Using his brother's home as a base, Brewster traveled throughout Maine, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, painting portraits both large and small. Several important commissions came from wealthy Maine and Massachusetts families, notably the Cuttses and Princes. In 1817, at the age of 51, Brewster enrolled in the first class at the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons (now the American School for the Deaf) in Hartford, Connecticut, becoming among the first in the nation to learn American Sign Language. He continued painting, and lived until the age of 88. Signed portrait miniatures by Brewster are extremely rare, and portraits both large and small by him are coveted. In 1988 Sotheby's sold "Comfort Starr Mygatt and Daughter Lucy," for $852,500, the world auction record for a Brewster portrait. Works by him may be found at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the American Folk Art Museum, the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, the Peabody Essex Museum, the Florence Griswald Museum, and the Fenimore Art Museum. Further information on him may be found in A Deaf Artist in Early America: The Worlds of John Brewster Jr. (Beacon Press, 2004) by Harlan Lane.

Dimensions: 2 ½ x 2 1/8 inches.

Quaker Gentleman Joel White, by Abraham Parsell, Circa 1830

An American portrait miniature of Joel White, with black hair and brown eyes, dressed in a black coat, yellow vest, and white shirt, against an atmospheric brown background. The painting is set in the original gilt pendant case with a foliate rim, the reverse with a glazed aperture containing a plait of brown hair, and is accompanied by a gilt chain of engraved links on which the miniature was worn.

According to a family note, (not included), the portrait is of "Joel White who went to New Orleans where he owned a vessel and was never heard of again…went down in a diving bell when first invented." The miniature was part of the New Jersey/Philadelphia Quaker Bassett family archive, and descended to the previous owner through the family. The White family is listed throughout the archive. Joel White was one of ten children born to William White and his second wife, Anne Paul, of Paulsboro, New Jersey, outside of Philadelphia. In The History and Genealogy of Fenwick's Colony, New Jersey, by Thomas Shourds, 1876, pages 325 to 328, it says: "John and Joel White, sons of William, settled in one of the Southern States. The family have not heard from them for a number of years." Further information on this family network is held in An Inventory of the Bassett Family Papers, 1676-1846 at the Swarthmore Friends Historical Library.

Abraham Parsell (1792-after 1856) a popular American folk miniature painter, was born in Neshanic, New Jersey on June 17, 1791, the second of six children of Oliver Parsell and Lucretia Williamson Parsell. Abraham married Mary Richards in Essex County, New Jersey, on March 23, 1819, and is recorded in New York City directories as living in Manhattan from 1820 to 1856. A John H. Parsell is also recorded at the same address, and working also as a miniaturist, and is assumed to be their son. Abraham's grave may be found at the French-Richards Burying Ground, Springfield, New Jersey. Examples of Abraham Parsell's work are in the collection of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the New Jersey Historical Society. An article "Abraham Parsell: Miniature Painter" by Vincent DiCicco and Howard P. Fertig appeared in a recent issue of the magazine Antiques and Fine Art. The online link is: http://bit.ly/8YrJlX.

Dimensions: 2 ¼ x 1 15/16 inches.

Child of the Hillhouse Family, by John Carlin, Circa 1840

A delightful American miniature of a child of the Hillhouse family, with blue eyes and blond hair, wearing a dress with a black velvet bodice and gray skirt, the collar and sleeves trimmed with white lace. The painting is set behind a gilt mat and glass in a brown leather travel wallet.

The portrait came from a relative of the Hillhouse family of New Haven, Connecticut, a prominent family in the area for several centuries. The family included Senator James Hillhouse, who also served as treasurer of Yale University, and as a real estate developer, was responsible for the design of New Haven. Hillhouse Avenue and James Hillhouse High School were named for James Hillhouse. His son James Abraham Hillhouse, a published poet, created the place and the poem "Sachem's Wood," and was one of the earliest Americans to attempt poetic drama in the manner of Shelley and Byron.

John Carlin (1813-1891), an exceptional miniaturist, as well as a portrait, genre, and landscape painter, was born deaf-mute in Philadelphia. He studied from 1821 to 1825 at the Pennsylvania Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, and then studied drawing with John Rubens Smith, and portrait painting with John Neagle. He exhibited at the Artist's Fund Society from 1835 to 1838. He subsequently spent the next few years studying at the British Museum in London, and with Paul Delaroche in Paris. Upon his return he settled in New York City, with professional forays in the years 1841 to 1856, to Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York State, Massachusetts, Washington D.C. and Baltimore. He became a well-known society miniaturist, particularly noted for his sensitivity in depicting children.

Carlin exhibited at the National Academy of Design, the American Institute, the American Art-Union, the Maryland Historical Society and the Pennsylvania Academy. The New York Historical Society holds his account book. Carlin was also a published writer, best known for the children's book, The Scratchside Family, (NY 1861), and his poem "The Mute's Lament," which begins, "I move a silent exile on this earth." He was friends with William Cullen Bryant, Hamilton Fish, and William Henry Seward, and was often invited to appear at conferences for deaf people, becoming the first person to receive a honorary degree from Gallaudet University. He married Miss Seward, also deaf, from the family of William Henry Seward, Secretary to Abraham Lincoln, and raised five children. His works may be seen at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Dimensions: 2 ¼ x 1 ¾ inches; case: 4 x 3 ½ inches

Gentleman with Grey Eyes, Signed by Henry Williams, Circa 1825

An American portrait miniature of a young man with brown hair and grey eyes, wearing a black coat with brass buttons, a white vest, a white shirt, and a white cravat, against a soft gray background. The painting is signed at the lower right: Williams, and is set in a gilt pendant frame with a caste foliate rim, the reverse, with a glazed aperture holding plaited brown hair.

Henry Williams (1787-1830) , born in Boston, appeared to be have been an ambitious artist, executing works in pastels, oil, wax, watercolor and creating engravings and profiles. By age 16 he was advertising his talents in Maine, and soon he became a leading miniaturist on the East coast. Williams continued to pursue ambitious avenues, producing a book called Elements of Drawing, and joining forces with fellow miniaturist William M. S. Doyle in a partnership that lasted several years. Williams seemed to have a fondness for painting elfin ears on his sitters, since this sitter and at least one other sitter, Mr. Bennett of Revere Street, in the Smithsonian, are depicted with them. Works by Williams may be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Boston Museum of Fine Art, the Yale Art Gallery, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Dimensions: 2 5/8 x 2 ¼ inches.

Gentleman in Brown Coat, by Ebenezer Mack, Circa 1795

An American portrait miniature of a gentleman with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a brown coat, white vest and white shirt with a ruffled front, against a pale sky. The painting is set in the original gilt pendant frame, with a solid reverse.

Ebenezer Mack (active 1785-1808) has been an artist of some mystery. Research has found a headstone for that name in Hillside Cemetery, Antwerp, Jefferson County, New York (outside of Philadelphia). If this is the same Mack, he was born January 26, 1766 to William Wormann Mack and Ruth Gee in Lyme, Connecticut, and died October 11, 1831, in Antwerp, New York. In 1787 he married Polly Huntley Harvey (1765-1838), and had three children: Polly Mack Rider (1790-1833), Charmis Mack (1795-1866), and Charles Chabris Mack (1797-1886.) See: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=26867082.

Professionally, Mack was first placed in Boston in 1780, with a brief mention in John Smibert: Colonial America’s First Portrait Painter: “Trumbull rented [Smibert's Boston] studio in 1779 and made use of whatever remained of Smibert’s library…[and]…over the course of the next sixteen years at least six more artists–-Mather Brown (1780), Ebenezer Mack (1780), Joseph Dunkerly [sic] (1780), Samuel King (c 1780-1785), John Mason Furnass (1785) and John Johnston (1795) held sway in the studio.” ¹ It is interesting to note that Dunkerley and Mack were recorded as using Smibert’s studio in the same year. It's possible that this led to them becoming acquaintances, or studying together.

It's also interesting to note that another miniaturist at the time, William Verstille, was active in Philadelphia and New York in the 1780s, and his work at times bears a resemblance to Mack’s portraits.  The Mack miniature of  Jasper Ely Cropsey, circa 1794, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art,  has a similar look to some miniatures by Verstille.  Additionally, the gold frame for the Mack miniature by Cropsey looks similar to several frames on Verstille’s miniatures. Verstille was a goldsmith as well as a miniaturist, and may possibly have created some frames for Mack’s miniatures, much as Paul Revere did for Dunkerley’s miniatures, although it should be noted that this style of miniature frame was popular in the East during this time period.

Mack advertised as a miniature painter in Philadelphia in 1785 and 1788, and was thereafter recorded in New York City directories from 1791 to 1800, and again from 1806 to 1808. In 1809 and 1810 Mack was again listed at the same address, 271 Water Street , but this time as a physician. ² A book by a Doctor Ebenezer Mack, published in 1824 in New York with the title page stating "Sold at 350 Water-Street," was entitled: The Cat-Fight; A Mock Heroic Poem, Supported with Copious Extracts from Ancient and Modern Classic Authors. The title page states that he was also the author of Anatomy in Rhyme, Etc.

Works by Ebenezer Mack may be found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The New York Historical Society, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Columbus Museum in Georgia and the Cheekwood Museum of Art in Tennessee. Mack's portrait miniatures are very rare.

1. Richard H. Saunders, John Smibert: Colonial America’s First Portrait Painter, Yale University Press, p. 125.
2. Carrie Rebora Barratt and Lori Zabar, American Portrait Miniatures In the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University Press, 2010, p. 62.

Dimensions: 2 x 1 ½ inches.

Woman in Pearls, Signed by Charles James Turrell, Dated 1902

A beautiful portrait miniature of a woman with blue eyes and brown hair, wearing a white dress, a star brooch, a pearl necklace and pearl earrings, against a sky background. The painting is signed at the right: C.T./ 1902, and is set in a gold locket case with blue and green enamel on the front, and glazed blue silk on the reverse.

Charles James Turrell (1845-1932) exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Society of Miniaturists from 1873 to 1932, and also at the Paris Salon. Among his sitters were Queen Victoria, King Edward, Queen Alexandra and Queen Maude of Norway. Turrell often wintered in the United States, where he exhibited at the Brooklyn Art Association and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. His sitters in the USA included the Whitney, McCormick, Vanderbilt, Ryerson and Morgan families. Turrell married an American woman, and the wedding announcement for his daughter Sybil, who married the American Dean Kirby, appeared in the New York Times on June 15, 1910. Further information on Turrell may be found in Miniatures, by Dudley Heath, pages 215 to 217. Works by him are held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Worcester Art Museum, and others. He died in White Plains, New York.

Dimensions: Image: 4 x 3 ¼ inches.

Provenance: Christies, September 28, 1999, Lot 35.