Unidentified Man with White Hair

Periodca. 1855 - 1860

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions34.4 × 29.9 in. (87.4 × 75.9 cm)

ClassificationsPortraits

Credit LineMuseum Collection

Object number1983.553

DescriptionMan sitting in a red-upholstered armchair facing forward with his body turned to the right. Dressed in a black suit, white shirt, and black tie. A full head of white hair with side burns.
Curatorial RemarksThe subject and source of this portrait is not at present known. The sitter’s clothing and hair style suggest a date of about 1855 to 1860. While attributed to Harvey Jenkins, the work lacks the fineness of detail and physical directness of other paintings signed or strongly attributed to this Middletown artist. That is especially true in the treatment of clothing, chair upholstery, and facial features. It could well have been painted by someone else also working in the years leading up to the Civil War.

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