Category Archives: Portrait Artist Identification

Mystery of “A Descendant of David Rittenhouse”

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Patricia Moss

The clue to solving the mystery of an antebellum portrait of a young woman was in the auction house description, “the subject was a relative of David Rittenhouse (1732-1796), first director of the U. S. Mint.” The name rang a … Continue reading →

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Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Patricia Moss

Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman “Who was the artist?” the owners wanted to know.  The Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman was an especially hard project because the painting had little provenance. The owners purchased the portrait in Wisconsin at auction.  The estate may … Continue reading →

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Mystery of Five Family Portraits: IV

Posted on October 2, 2016 by Patricia Moss

Introduction The last two family portraits in need of artist identification were Mary Elizabeth Lee (1827-1902) and her husband, whose middle name was the same as his last, Dr. Robert Fleming Fleming (1816-1871). Mary Elizabeth was a daughter the subject of the second portrait, Juliana … Continue reading →

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The Mysterious Mrs. Arundel(s)

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Patricia Moss

A signed and notarized letter dictated by the subject’s granddaughter had been passed down through a family. It began, “Portrait by Sully.” But a Christie’s appraiser and staff at two different Manhattan, New York, galleries said Thomas Sully (1783-1872) was not the artist. They offered no … Continue reading →

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