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Isaac Augustus Wetherby Iowa City’s Portrait of Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780)1880
1880
$5,500
£4,170.64
€4,825.63
CA$7,774.45
A$8,667.02
CHF 4,520.21
MX$104,804.34
NOK 56,821.21
SEK 53,764.22
DKK 36,018.38
About the Item
On offer is a portrait of renowned English jurist Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780). Any attorney worth their standing with the state bar will recognize from law school days the author of the landmark “Commentaries of the Laws of England.”
Painted in Iowa City, Iowa exactly a century after Blackstone’s death, it’s clear that the subject didn’t sit for the work. Nor was there likely to be any late-19th-century wig maker within a thousand miles of Iowa City who might have crafted this awesome hairpiece. Nevertheless, Blackstone remains inspiring in his approachable gravitas.
The portrait’s creator, a prominent Iowa City painter and photographer Isaac Augustus Wetherby (1819-1904) was undoubtedly commissioned by a local legal group to complete the work. No less an above-reproach group as the Pilgrim Chapter of NSDAR (National Society Daughters of the American Revolution) are reported to have ‘marked’ a portrait of Sir William Blackstone hanging “in the Iowa City Courthouse in 1936, acknowledging his significant contributions to legal history.”
Inquiries from Iowa City or members of the legal profession in good standing are most welcome.
Please see the last of this listing's images for the artist's signature on the verso. Wetherby frequently signed his works on the reverse side of the canvas and often included details such as the date and sometimes the subject's name, as he did with this work, along with his own name or initials.
- Creator:Isaac Augustus Wetherby (1819 - 1904, American)
- Creation Year:1880
- Dimensions:Height: 35 in (88.9 cm)Width: 29 in (73.66 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:Condition commensurate with age and use. Please review photos.
- Gallery Location:San Francisco, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1378216603262
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