The introduction to this series, about the Wadsworth family and the Wadsworth Atheneum, is here. When my husband and I visited the Wadsworth for the first time in October, we were told that due to the circulation restrictions put in place for Covid-19, we should start on the third floor and work our way down. This series of posts shows the items on that route that particularly struck me. There are many, many more works in the Wadsworth’s collection, and, I’m sure, some wondrous items that I missed.

Looking at my photos from the Wadsworth, I realized there’s an advantage to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s poor lighting! Even a real camera (not a cell phone) can’t take a good photo if there’s a spotlight glaring on the painting. For that reason, I’ll often be using Wikipedia photos rather than my own photos in these posts. That’s a pity, because frames often have an effect on how we perceive the painting … so I’ll sometimes give you a second photo that shows the frame.

Oliver Ellsworth and Abigail Wolcott Ellsworth, by Ralph Earl, 1792

As a representative from Connecticut, Ellsworth (1745-1807) helped draft the Constitution. He holds a copy of it in this painting. A staunch ally in Congress of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists, he later served as third Chief Justice of the United States. When this portrait was painted, Abigail had borne nine children, only two of whom died in infancy.

In the background of this six-foot-high double portrait is the couple’s home, Elmwood, in Windsor (near Hartford), which is now a museum. Ellsworth wrote of it:

“I have visited several countries and I like my own the best. I have been in all the States of the Union, and Connecticut is the best State. Windsor is the pleasantest town in the State, and I have the pleasantest place in the town of Windsor. I am content – perfectly content to die on the banks of the Connecticut River.”

Oliver Ellsworth

Ralph Earl painted dozens of American portraits, but the one he’s most famous for today is that of Eliza Hamilton, painted a few years earlier than this one. Abigail’s dress is very similar to Eliza’s.

In this photo, you can see the elegantly simple frame of the Ellsworth portrait. I don’t know if it’s original, but it might be.

Colonel Jeremiah Lee and Mrs. Martha Lee, by John Singleton Copley, 1769

And here’s the frame of Mrs. Lee’s portrait: quite a different effect from the one on the Ellsworth portrait! I’d be extremely surprised if this isn’t the original frame. The one for Colonel Lee matches.

Copley’s sitters are usually healthy and well-to-do. Case in point: Jeremiah Lee (1721-1775) was one of New England’s wealthiest merchants. An early rebel leader, he imported munitions, headed the rebel military regiment in Marblehead, Massachusetts, and was committee chair of the Massachusetts rebel legislature. On April 18, 1775, Lee met with four other patriot leaders – John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Elbridge Gerry, and Azor Orne. When British troops marched toward Lexington and Concord, the four patriots fled, hiding in a cornfield. Lee caught a fever and died within a month. (See this page.) Lee is considered the first patriot leader to have given his life in the cause of independence. His elegant mansion in Marblehead, where he lived with his wife Martha and their six children, is now a museum (and on my list of want-to-visit places).

Wadsworth posts on American art

When I visited the Wadsworth, visitors were sent through the galleries in reverse chronological order due to social distancing. If you’d rather read the posts in order (seventeenth through twentieth centuries), the sequence would be as follows. Part 1 is the introduction to the series.

• part 12: 16th to early 19th centuries, including Copley, Trumbull, and Earl
• part 2: late 18th c., including Copley and Earl

• part 3: early and mid-19th c., early Hudson River School, including Cole and Church
• part 11: mid-19th c., including the Colt legacy and the Charter Oak
• part 4: mid-19th c., including Church and Bierstadt
• part 6: late 19th c. painting and sculpture, including Church, Remington, and Bierstadt
• part 5: late 19th c. painting, including Church and Heade
• part 9: late 19th and early 20th c. painting and sculpture
• part 10: late 19th and early 20th c. sculpture, including MacMonnies and Frishmuth
• part 8: early and mid-20th c. painting and sculpture, including Andrew Wyeth
• Part 7: survey of images of Niagara Falls, from the 17th to 21st centuries, including Trumbull, Cole, Bierstadt, and Church.

More

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