Provenance

Edward Stow

American, c. 1768 - 1845

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This painting is a portrait of a man from the waist up. He is seated with his body facing slightly to the right and his head turned toward us. The man has a fair complexion with rosy cheeks and a neutral expression. He has short, curly brown hair, pale eyebrows, a long, straight nose, and a weak chin. He is wearing a dark navy coat with gold buttons, a high-collared white shirt, and a white cravat. The man sits in a red cushioned chair, and in front of him is a red desk or writing surface. His right hand rests on the surface on top of a sheet of white paper, holding a white feather quill pen. In the background, there seems to be a gray column behind him, framed on either side by red curtains, and in the bottom left corner a hint of a cloudy blue sky and green foliage are visible.
Gilbert Stuart, Edward Stow, c. 1803, oil on wood, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1942.8.23

Edward Stow

Gilbert Stuart · c. 1803 · oil on wood ·  Accession ID  1942.8.23

The image shows a man with fair skin, blonde curly hair, and facial features including a straight nose and arched eyebrows. He is wearing a dark jacket and a white cravat, against a dark background with a hint of burgundy cloth on the right side. No jewelry or items are visible.
John Johnston, John Peck, c. 1795, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1947.17.65

John Peck

John Johnston · c. 1795 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1947.17.65

Bibliography

1885

  • Phillips, Albert M. Phillips Genealogies. Auburn, MA, 1885: 184

1926

  • Park 1926, 714-715, no. 793, repro.

1982

  • Holbrook Research Institute. Massachusettes Vital Records. Oxford, MA, 1982-1991: fiche 147 "Boston Marriages 1761-1807" and fiche 350 "Deaths Index 1801-1845."

1995

  • Miles, Ellen G. American Paintings of the Eighteenth Century. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1995: 227-228