Dr. Jacobus Hubbard Jr.

Periodca. 1817 - 1820

MediumPastel on paper

Dimensions25 × 21 in. (63.5 × 53.3 cm)

ClassificationsPortraits

Credit LineGift of Robert M. Hubbard in memory of Dr. Charles Cooke Hubbard, DDS, MDS, 1936

Object number958

DescriptionThree-quarter length portrait of a middle age, heavy set male facing right, with ruddy complexion, hazel eyes, and gray hair cut and styled in a fashion popular in the very early nineteenth century. He wearts a black or blue-black coat with wide lapels, a white shirt with ruffles, a white stock, and a white vest with an upturned collar. His left hand is tucked into the coat, with only his thumb visible. The subject wears a single ornament: a mourning or memorial pin that is lozenge shaped with a gold rim and braided hair work within. The background is a mottled brown with a slight red cast. Mounted on wood stretchers, and lined with an unidentified newspaper sheet suffering from numerous breaks and losses.
Curatorial RemarksThe portrait depicts a stocky, strongly featured man in his mid-forties, with a monochromatic palette of dark browns and black. Williams added his typical artistic touches, including crows’ feet at the corners of Hubbard’s eyes, slight furrows between the eyebrows, and more than a hint of a five o’clock shadow on the sitter’s upper lip. A small detail hints at an early tragedy: the small mourning pin on the front of Hubbard’s shirt contained a small plait of dark brown hair from his first wife, Katie Hendrickson. Micah Williams completed at least five portraits of closely related Hubbard family members, including Dr. Hubbard’s younger brother, Samuel Hubbard, Samuel’s wife Margaret Hubbard, Samuel and Margaret’s daughter Rebecca Hubbard, and Margaret’s parents, John and Catherine Stoutenborough.NotesDr. Jacobus Hubbard Jr. (1774 - 1847) was the son of Dr. Jacobus Hubbard Sr. (1744-1807) and Rebecca Swart (1739-1819). Hubbard Sr. was born in Gravesend, Long Island. He apprenticed with Dr. Clark of Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey beginning in 1760. Hubbard Sr. served as a doctor in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. His son was born on the family farm in Holmdel, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Hubbard Jr. graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and joined his father’s practice. He moved briefly to Gravesend, Long Island, before returning to set up practice in Tinton Falls. Hubbard Jr. was one of the founding members of the Monmouth Medical Society. He served as its treasurer in 1816, its secretary in 1819, vice president in 1820, and as president from 1827 to 1828. In 1832, Hubbard Jr. was made a honorary member of the Medical Society. He was married twice, first to Catherine Hendrickson (d. ca. 1798), and second in 1829 to Charlotte Corlies (1791 - 1873).

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