Samuel Eells

c. 1800

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Recorded as from Massachusetts. A brother of Reverend Ozias Eells [1755-1813].[1] The Reverend's wife, Phebe Eells [née Ely; 1760-1829]; by whom given to her son Ozias Shelton Eells [1794-1890], Johnsonville, Ohio, on the event of his marriage in 1828; by whom given in 1882 to Reverend William Woodward Eells [not related; 1811-1886] Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;[2] bequeathed to Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity, Hamilton College, Clinton, New York; by whom given in 1924 to Mrs. Benjamin E. Tilton [née Annie Powers Henderson, great niece of William Woodward Eells], Utica, New York; by whom given in 1949 to the Milford [Connecticut] Historical Society in 1954, in exchange for a donation for the restoration of the house and a copy of the portrait, through (Hirschl and Adler Galleries, New York, to Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch; gift to NGA, 1971.
[1] Ozias Shelton Eells, original letter of 17 September 1881 to Reverend William Woodward Eells, in NGA curatorial files. Reverend Ozias Eells had three brothers, Edward, Reverend Samuel, and Pitkin. It is not certain which brother owned the painting or how it came into Phebe Eells' hands. A key passage in the letter reads: "One of my Father's Brothers found it [the portrait] in the family of another brother much defaced. He took it and had it retaken.... When I had settled in the married state my Mother sent it to me to keep. It has been in my family more than fifty years."
[2] These two men were not related. Ozias Shelton Eells contacted William Woodward Eells because the latter was active in compiling Eells family history. A letter dated 1 November 1852 from Ozias Shelton Eells to William Woodward Eells (in NGA curatorial files) indicates that at that time the former did not know how the Samuel Eells portrait came into his family but planned to consult with his sister, Emily. Her reply is not known. The early provenance constructed by family members in the 1950s (also in NGA curatorial files) is probably speculation.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1903

  • Starr, Frank Farnsworth. The Eells Family of Dorchester, Massachusetts, in the Line of Nathaniel Eells of Middletown, Connecticut, 1633-1821, With Notes on the Lenthall Family. Hartford, 1903: iv, 102-120.

1920

  • Eells, Emma Seymour. A History of the Eells-Stow House in Milford, Connecticut. Milford, 1920: 5-22.

1966

  • Eells, Reverend Earnest Edward. The Eells Family History. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1966: 3-15.

1980

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 273, repro.

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: 468-471, repro. 469.

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 400, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q20181023

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