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19th Century Folk Art Painting of a Gentleman Attributed to Samuel P. Howes

$3,900
£2,962.15
€3,422.26
CA$5,465.99
A$6,117.47
CHF 3,192.85
MX$74,601.62
NOK 40,864.14
SEK 38,683.14
DKK 25,539.85
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About the Item

Oil on canvas. Samuel P. Howes was born in 1806, likely in Plymouth, Massachusetts. As a young man, he began divinity studies but changed his career to painting and moved to Boston in 1829. He lists his occupation in the Boston city directory as “painter” and his residence at Lewis Wharf. He moved frequently from 1831 to 1834. Howes arrived in Lowell in 1835 and started a portrait studio. At that time, Lowell was a growing industrial city and there was less competition for artists than in Boston. The first account of Howes’ arrival in Lowell appeared in the Journal and Weekly Bulletin dated September 23, 1835. In this ad, Howes states his intentions of “stopping in this town for a few days” to paint full-size likenesses for $10 to $30 each and miniatures ranging from $6 to $25. On October 21, 1835 he gave notice in the same newspapers that examples of his work could be seen “at his room #4 Central opposite the Washington Hotel.” Subsequent ads gave notice of his move to the Mansur building at the corner of Central and Lowell Streets. In 1845, the Lowell city directory indicates his studio is located at 112 Merrimack Street, a location Howes would occupy for the following 34 years. Howes was extremely successful for a ten-year period, but after 1845 he began to paint a variety of non-portrait subjects to support his family. In the 1860s, Howes painted several famous American icons including Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant, and General William T. Sherman. Howes died in Lowell of peritonitis on February 25, 1881. Information regarding his later life comes from several published obituaries, two of which cite his involvement in landscape painting, a scarcely documented aspect of his painting career. Howes most likely continued to paint portraits up until the time of his death. A notice in the September 3, 1879 issue of the Vox Populi announced that he had just completed a portrait of John A. Knowles, former President of Appleton Bank. Howes’ works are represented in collections of several local New England institutions, such as the Whistler House Museum of Art in Lowell, the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 28 in (71.12 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
  • Style:
    Folk Art (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1838
  • Condition:
    Additions or alterations made to the original: The painting has been professionally conservation relined and presents very well. Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Wiscasset, ME
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1017624104712

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