James (1777-1852) and Sarah Clark Tuttle (1779-1840)

1836

Place madeNew Hampshire, United States, North America

Gouache, watercolor, graphite, and black ink with selective glazing on ivory paper

Overall: 9 3/4 × 14 3/4 in. (24.8 × 37.5 cm), irregular

Purchased from Elie Nadelman

1937.1715

This object was once part of the folk art collection of Elie Nadelman (1882-1946), the avant-garde sculptor. From 1924 to 1934, Nadelman's collection was displayed in his Museum of Folk Arts, located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. The Historical Society purchased Nadelman's entire collection in 1937. The itinerant painter Joseph H. Davis is best known for his portraits of married couples. His portrait of James and Sarah Clark Tuttle, who were married in 1799, features a cat that completes the family unit. His sitters are dressed in their most fashionable finery. They are surrounded by colorful furnishings in the exuberant “fancy” style of the early nineteenth century. Mr. Tuttle points to the open Holy Bible, while his wife holds a small book (probably for devotions) to stress her piety and literacy. The top hat and bowl of fruit that sit on the trompe l’oeil grained-painted table suggest abundance, and the framed picture above depicting Tuttle’s sawmill suggests the source of the family’s prosperity.

DescriptionDouble portrait

InscribedInscribed at lower left in black ink: "James Tuttle. Aged 58. September 15th 1835"; at lower center: "Painted AT Strafford / Jany 25th. 1836."; at lower right: "Sarah Tuttle. Aged 56. Octbr. 25. 1835"

ClassificationsDRAWINGS

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