Major John Samuel Holmes

Periodca. 1820

MediumPastel on paper

Dimensions26 × 22 in. (66 × 55.9 cm)

ClassificationsPortraits

Credit LineGift of Joseph H. Holmes and Katherine Holmes Coe, 1931

Object number58

DescriptionThree-quarter length portrait of an adult male facing left, with a ruddy face, brown eyes, and dark hair brushed to a peak at the top combed towards his face. He wears a deep royal blue coat with a wide black collar and six gold buttons, a white crimp-ruffled shirt, white vest, and white stock. The background is a soft shaded blue-green, with an area of light yellowish blue-green to the left of the sitter's head. The subject's right hand is tucked into the coat front, leaving only the thumb visible. Mounted on wood stretchers, and lined with a page from The True American dated March or April 1819 from a news article.
Curatorial RemarksOn occasion, Micah Williams produced copies of his portraits upon request. Virtually identical portraits, also in pastel, of John and Sarah Holmes are in the collection of the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, New York. The artist’s style remained consistent through twenty years, and it is possible that one of John’s and Sally’s children requested duplicates of the portraits for their own home. Both pairs of likenesses remained in the Holmes family until being donated to museums by direct descendants.NotesJohn Samuel Holmes (1762 - 1821) was a son of Samuel Holmes (1726 - 1821) and Mary Stout (1727 - 1773). Holmes led an energetic political life, serving as a member of the New Jersey Assembly in 1810-11 and again in 1813-14, representing Monmouth County. He achieved the rank of Major while serving in the local militia. John Samuel Holmes married Sarah (Sally) Hendrickson (1767-1824) sometime before 1792, most likely in 1791. The couple had six children. Holmes began his career as a merchant in Holmdel village, for a time living at the “Academy,” a farmhouse in Holmdel village opposite the present church building. In 1810, for the sum of one dollar, he purchased the farm “Old Kaintuck” from his brother Samuel Holmes (1766-1844). John and Sarah lived on the farm until their deaths. The two portraits may have been included in the 1821 estate inventory which listed “1 looking glass & 2 picture frames,” and given a value of two dollars.

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