Old Tennent Church

Artist Frank Ochs

Period1935

MediumInk on heavy paper

Dimensions15 × 23 in. (38.1 × 58.4 cm)

InscribedInscribed lower center, "Old Tennent Church / Monmouth County, N. J."

SignedSigned lower right, "Frank Ochs / '35."

ClassificationsLandscapes & Still Life

Credit LineGift of Frank Ochs, 1935

Object number731

DescriptionFront-on view of a five bay, two story, shingled church with three entrances, a high gable roof, and a cupola on the left gable with a conical roof capped by a weathervane in the shape of a rooster. A large tree appears in the right foreground without foliage. An evergreen tree is depicted to the left of the church. Gravestones surround the structure. Two additional trees are shown in the distance to the right of the church.
Curatorial RemarksOld Tennent Church attracted artists not only from the area, but also from New York and elsewhere. Frank Ochs (1885 - 1973) came from Brooklyn, where he was an illustrator and artist employed for a number of years by Manhattan studios. For this particular work, he used a very fine pen much like one used for drafting or producing architectural designs. He was especially skilled at rendering textures, such as the shingles on the roof, the gnarled ancient tree trunk on the right, or the grass among the tombstones. Ochs became known later in life as an accomplished artist specializing in Navy and military works. He also wrote and illustrated a book entitled Pencil Impressions of Lake Minnewaska [1940].NotesOld Tennent Presbyterian Church in Manalapan Township was erected in 1751 - 1753, an early example of the full English Georgian style in Monmouth County. It figured prominently during the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778, and is one of the least altered colonial churches remaining in New Jersey.

Collections