Possibly Mrs. William Sheldon

c. 1831

Asahel Powers

Painter, American, 1813 - 1843

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Mrs. Jerome Bonapart Sheldon [née Caroline Grover, c. 1829-1872 or later], Unionville, Ohio.[1] Purchased in Clyde, New York, by (Downtown Gallery, New York), by whom sold in 1948 to Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch; gift to NGA, 1953.
[1] An inscription (no longer visible, but known through a photograph) on the reverse of this portrait reads, Mrs. J. B Sheldon / Unionville, O. Based on this inscription, this and its male companion portrait have long been thought to represent Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Sheldon of Unionville, Ohio. However, residents of J. B. Sheldon's home have discovered that these Sheldons are not the sitters, but rather were later owners of the paintings (Jim and Gerri Regan, undated letter received 14 July 1989, in NGA curatorial file). Comparison with Powers' handwriting on the reverse of his other portraits clearly indicates that another hand is responsible for this inscription.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1948

  • The American Family, Folk Paintings 1750-1850, Downtown Gallery, New York, 1948, no. 5, as Mrs. J. B. Sheldon.

1954

  • American Primitive Paintings from the Collection of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, Part I, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1954, no. 56, as Mrs. J. B. Sheldon.

1955

  • American Primitive Pantings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1955.

1957

  • American Primitive Paintings from the Collection of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, Part II, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1957.

1973

  • Asahel Powers: Painter of Vermont Faces, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, Williamsburg, 1973, no. 26, as Mrs. J. B. Sheldon, (cat. by Nina Fletcher Little).

2010

  • American Naive Paintings from the Garbisch Collection at the National Gallery of Art, Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, Virginia, 2010, no cat.

2019

  • Edith Halpert: The Downtown Gallery and the Rise of American Art, Jewish Museum, New York, New York, 2019 - 2020, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

Bibliography

1949

  • Ford, Alice. Pictorial Folk Art: New England to California. New York and London, 1949: 72-73.

1970

  • American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 90, repro., as Mrs. J.B. Sheldon.

1980

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 211, repro.

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 543, no. 818, color repro., as Mrs. J.B. Sheldon.

1992

  • Chotner, Deborah, with contributions by Julie Aronson, Sarah D. Cash, and Laurie Weitzenkorn. American Naive Paintings. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1992: 291, 294, color repro. 292.

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 265, repro.

Inscriptions

on reverse (no longer visible, photograph in object file [1953.5.51] in NGA curatorial records): Mrs. J. B Sheldon / Unionville, O

Wikidata ID

Q20185750

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