Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 13

19C Oil on Canvas Portrait of a 'Distinguished Gent' In the Style of J Eichholtz

About the Item

PRESENTING a LOVELY Early 19C Oil on Canvas Portrait of a ‘Distinguished Gentleman’ In the Style of Jacob Eichholtz. Nice sized portrait of a Gentleman of high social status, from circa 1820. He has brown hair with a period collar and bowed white silk cravat and a black period tunic or coat. Oil on Canvas mounted on a wooden fame with nails and glue. Unsigned, but most definitely in the style and manner of Jacob Eichholtz who was a renowned Pennsylvanian artist known for his portraits of families of status and wealth in and around Pennsylvania in the early 19th Century. Jacob Eichholtz (1776–1842) was an early American painter, known primarily for his portraits in the Romantic Victorian tradition. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in a family of prosperous Pennsylvania Germans, he spent most of his professional life in Philadelphia. A coppersmith by trade, he turned to painting and achieved both recognition and success despite being mainly self-taught as an artist. He is known to have painted over 800 portraits over the course of 35 years. Hundreds of his works are housed in art museums, historical societies, and private collections throughout the United States. He was born to Leonard and Catharine Eichholtz, who owned and run the Bull’s Head Tavern on East King Street in Lancaster; his father took part in the American Revolutionary War. At age 11, Jacob with his brothers attended the English School at Franklin College in Lancaster where he learned the three Rs — reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic. He also took lessons from a sign painter since his parents noticed his inclination to draw, but eventually he was apprenticed as a coppersmith. After his apprenticeship ended, he started as a tinsmith working with sheet iron. By 1805, Eichholtz opened his own shop in Lancaster where he, “mended sugar boxes, tinned copper kettles, and made coffee pots, wash basins, lanterns, stills, and funnels.” Eichholtz married Catharine Hatz Michael (1770–1817), a young widow with two children; they had four children of their own, Caroline, Catharine Maria, Rubens Mayer, and Margaret Amelia. In 1818, he married Catharine Trissler of Lancaster, and they had nine children, Edward, Anna Maria, Elizabeth Susanna, Benjamin West, Angelica Kauffman, Rebecca, Henry, Robert Lindsay, and Lavallyn Barry. From 1808 to 1812, Eichholtz hired several workers to work in the shop, and devoted most of his time to offering his fellow Lancastrians, at first, painted tinware, and then, small profile portraits on wood panels, in order to diversify his business and satisfy his passion for drawing. After developing his abilities as profile painter and gaining enough clients to sustain his family, Eichholtz decided to make painting his main vocation. In 1808, Eichholtz advertised that he “executes Portraits and Profile paintings” in the Lancaster’s Intelligencer and Weekly Advertiser. In his own words, “I commenced the coppersmith business on my own account, with pretty good luck; still the more agreeable love of painting continually haunted me.” Two already established painters, James Peale and Thomas Sully, influenced Eichholtz. In 1808, James Peale visited Lancaster and became acquainted with Eichholtz, who commissioned Peale his portrait. Thomas Sully befriended Eichholtz when he was visiting Lancaster on business and accepted his invitation to work in his painting room. At that time, Sully was not impressed by Eichholtz’s attempts in painting calling them hideous; however, he left him his brushes as a gift before leaving Lancaster. Later, Sully wrote that he was surprised and gratified to see how much Eichholtz’s painting skills improved, and that, “Eichholtz would have made a first-rate painter had he began early in life with the usual advantages.” During the winter of 1811–1812, Eichholtz traveled to Boston where he spent several weeks at the studio of Gilbert Stuart copying his works under Stuart’s supervision. Stuart encouraged Eichholtz to continue painting. In 1815, Eichholtz sold his business and turned to painting. In 1820, he visited Baltimore to fulfill portrait commissions; he also worked in Pittsburgh and Delaware. In 1823, Eichholtz moved to Philadelphia where he, as he later wrote, faced both, “an incessant practice of ten years, and constant employment.” He was exhibiting with the Society of Artists at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Eichholtz relocated back to Lancaster in 1830 where he died in 1842. He and his family were originally interred at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church on South Duke Street in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In the early 1850s, Holy Trinity Church sought to expand its churchyard, so the church relocated the majority of gravestones and the remains to the new Woodward Hill Cemetery, Lot 33 of Area B, including the remains of Eichholtz and his family.He was reburied in the same grave together with both of his wives and their children. By 2014, Eichholtz’s gravestone, which was made of marble, had deteriorated due to age and acid rain, rendering the inscription illegible. Local historians have called for the restoration of his headstone, as well as the installation of a brass plaque at the grave site to mark his achievements. For decades the artistic legacy of Jacob Eichholtz was overlooked. As time passed, a reassessment of the significance of his achievements took place and “his portraits of Thaddeus Stevens and James Buchanan are generally accepted as the best that were done of these statesmen.” Provenance: From an Outstanding Dallas Private Collection. Condition: Good for it’s age. Some minor losses of paint and some fading. Some crackling. Some minor evidence of water damage on the edges. The frame is a 1980’s frame and not original to the piece. Dimensions: The Canvas is 25 inches wide, 30.2 inches tall and 1 inch deep
  • Similar to:
    EICHHOLTZ (Artist)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 30.2 in (76.71 cm)Width: 25 in (63.5 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
  • Style:
    American Empire (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1820
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor structural damages. Minor fading. Good for it’s age. Some minor losses of paint and some fading. Some crackling. Some minor evidence of water damage on the edges. The frame is a 1980’s frame and not original to the piece.
  • Seller Location:
    Dallas, TX
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU3978122137072

More From This Seller

View All
19C Oil on Canvas ‘Portrait of a Distinguished Lady’ In the Style of J Eichholtz
By EICHHOLTZ
Located in Dallas, TX
PRESENTING a LOVELY Early 19C Oil on Canvas ‘Portrait of a Distinguished Lady’ In the Style of Jacob Eichholtz. Nice sized portrait of an older lady of high social status, from circa 1820. She has brown curly hair (suggesting that she may not have been as old as she appears) with a beautiful lace bonnet, with intricate lace collar and black period dress which is suggestive of a ‘mourning’ period. Oil on Canvas mounted on a wooden fame with nails and glue. Unsigned, but most definitely in the style and manner of Jacob Eichholtz, who was a renowned Pennsylvanian artist, known for his portraits of families of status and wealth, in and around Pennsylvania in the early 19th Century. Jacob Eichholtz (1776–1842) was an early American painter...
Category

Antique Early 19th Century American American Empire Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Early 19th Century English Chiffonier in the Manner of Gillows
By Gillows of Lancaster & London
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting an absolutely gorgeous early 19th century English chiffonier or breakfast buffet, most likely, from the renowned maker of Gillows of Lancas...
Category

Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Buffets

Materials

Brass

19th Century Pair of British Oils on Canvas of River and Forest Scenes
Located in Dallas, TX
PRESENTING a BEAUTIFUL Pair of classic Original Victorian British Oils on Canvas of River and Forest Scenes. Unsigned, Oils on Canvas featuring river and forest scenes. Both in the...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century English High Victorian Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Early 19th Century British Davenport Desk in the Manner of Gillows
Located in Dallas, TX
PRESENTING AN ABSOLUTELY STUNNING Early 19C British Rosewood Davenport Desk in the Manner of Gillows circa 1830. A Davenport is a type of writ...
Category

Antique Early 19th Century English William IV Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Hardwood

19th Century Louis XVI Style Cabinet in the Manner of Grohe Freres
Located in Dallas, TX
PRESENTING a GORGEOUS late 19th Century French Louis XVI STyle Cabinet in the Manner of Grohe Freres. From circa 1880. ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS Ormolu mounts...
Category

Antique Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Cabinets

Materials

Ormolu

Early 19th Century French Gold Box with Enamel and Miniature Portrait
Located in Dallas, TX
PRESENTING A STUNNING Early 19C French Gold Box with Enamel and Miniature Portrait. Box made with brass but has been plated with 18ct Gold with beau...
Category

Antique Early 19th Century French Grand Tour Jewelry Boxes

Materials

Gold, Enamel

You May Also Like

Early 19th Century Portrait of a Gentleman
Located in Buchanan, MI
Stately English oil on board portait of a gentleman in a giltwood frame.
Category

Antique 19th Century English Paintings

EARLY 19th CENTURY PORTRAIT OF A GENTLEMAN IN UNIFORM
Located in Firenze, FI
Splendid oil portrait on canvas of a gentleman in uniform, identified as Professor Moses Bosisio, mayor of Monza, who died in 1846, as reported on a plaque on the back of the paintin...
Category

Antique Early 19th Century Italian Empire Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood

Early 19th Century Empire Period Portrait of a Gentleman
Located in Doylestown, PA
A charming portrait of a young Empire period gentleman with an earring, under glass in a period gild wood frame. Oil pastel on paper, French, circa 1800.
Category

Antique Early 19th Century French Empire Paintings

Materials

Paper

English 19th Century Portrait of a Gentleman
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
An English 19th century portrait of a gentleman, oil on canvas, original frame and stretcher, crackle paint typical of older pain...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century English Victorian Decorative Art

Materials

Paint

Early 19th Century Oil Portrait of a Bespectacled New England Gentleman
Located in Peabody, MA
An early 19th century oil on cradled panel of a finely featured gentleman who once partnered an insurance firm in Hartford, CT. It is fairly rare to come across such a youthful male ...
Category

Antique Early 19th Century North American American Classical Paintings

Materials

Paint

Vintage Regency 19th Century Portrait of a Gentleman
Located in west palm beach, FL
The Vintage Regency 19th Century Portrait of a Gentleman is an exquisite piece of art that captures the elegance and refinement of the Regency era. This finely detailed portrait feat...
Category

Antique 19th Century British Regency Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Paint

Recently Viewed

View All