$4,700
Attributed to William Jewett (American, 1795-1874) and Samuel Lovett Waldo (American, 1783-1861) Pair of Portraits Depicting Moses Wanzer and his Wife Mary. Unsigned. Oil on canvas, c. 1840, 32 x 26 in., in contemporary molded giltwood frames. Condition: Canvas applied to Masonite, retouch. Provenance: By family descent. Note: A genealogical search record indicates that Moses Wanzer was born around 1802 in St. Albans, Vermont. He married Mary Whittemore (born January 18th 1806 in St. Albans, Vermont) June 27, 1828 in Natchez, Mississippi. They had five children, all born in New York City. It does not indicate when Moses died, but Mary died October 12, 1866. Samuel Waldo was born in Windham, Connecticut, and received his first formal art instruction in 1799 from Joseph Steward (1753–1822), who was a minister, painter, and museum keeper in Hartford. He then went on to paint in Litchfield, Connecticut, then to Charleston, South Carolina where he spent three years. In 1806, he worked and studied in London under Benjamin West and also at the Royal Academy. In 1809 he returned to America and opened a studio in New York City. William Jewett became his pupil in 1812, after which they became partners, painting portraits together from 1820 to 1854, until Jewett's retirement. Waldo is reported to have painted the faces and hands and Jewett painted the costume and drapery.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2006-06-04
