Monmouth Court-House in 1778

Artist Carrie A. Bowne Swift

Periodca. 1880 - 1895

MediumOil on artist's board

Dimensions10 × 13 in. (25.4 × 33 cm)

InscribedInscribed center bottom, "Monmouth Court-House in 1778."

SignedSigned on reverse, "Painted by / C. A. Swift,"

ClassificationsLandscapes & Still Life

Credit LineMuseum Collection

Object number1989.515

DescriptionThree-quarter view of a three bay, two story structure with a two bay gable end and a gambrel roof with flaring eaves. Two chimneys extend above the ridge line at the gable ends, and a small cupola sits in the center of the ridge line. There are two steps at the front door of the structure, which has a fence extending behind it from the left hand rear corner. Two large trees appear in the foreground to the right of the building, with three stones on the ground in front of them. Two more stones are on the opposite side of a pathway that leads past the building from lower left to the right edge of the painting. More trees can be seen in the distance.
Curatorial RemarksThis smaller example of Monmouth Court-House in 1778 by Freehold artist Carrie Swift (1844 - 1924) eliminates altogether the horse and rider in her larger version of the same scene (accession number 159). A typical example of Carrie Swift’s work, it is signed on the reverse, “Painted by / C. A. Swift.” Many artists who created renderings of the 1731 court house relied on an illustration in Benson J. Lossing’s article, “The Battle of Monmouth Court-House” (Harper’s New Monthly Magazine 57 [June 1878]), published in celebration of the centennial of the battle. Lossing said that while visiting Freehold, he met “Mr. J. S. Denise, an old citizen, now over eighty years of age, who seemed to have a vivid recollection of the old court-house, and from his description was enabled to make the drawing . . . It is believed to be very nearly, if not quite, correct.”NotesAside from St. Peter's Church, the most prominent building in Freehold at the time of the Revolution was the court house on Main Street––a three-story wood structure with shingled sides, almost square, that was surmounted by a gambrel roof with a small cupola. Erected in 1731, this was the second court house (the first one, which opened in 1715, was destroyed by fire in 1727). After the battle, the courthouse served as a refuge for the sick and wounded. In 1809, the second Monmouth Court House was moved to a lot off South Street following construction of a new court house immediately behind it. The old structure then served as a private residence, printing office, and finally a barn. Portions of the building were reportedly still standing as of 1885. The foundations of the 1731 court house remain in place under the plaza in front of the Monmouth County Hall of Records (the former court house), having been exposed some years ago during construction of the plaza.

Collections