18th Century Material Culture

Portrait Artists in America

John Hesselius
 John Hesselius

- Born to Swedish -born portrait artist, Gustavus Hesselius in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in

1728
- Left Philadelphia for Williamsburg and Yorktown, Virginia c. 1750 where he established
himself as a “court” painter for many of the prominent families of the Chesapeake Bay area
- Upon the death of his father in 1756, inherited the house in which he lived on High Street in
Philadelphia
- In 1762 instructed Charles Willson Peale. Received instruction, himself, from John Wollaston
during this time
- On 30, January, 1763 married the wealthy widow from Annapolis, Maryland, Mary Young
Woodward who owned Primrose Hill where the couple now resided.
- On 4 April, 176 became a church warden at St. Anne’s Church in Annapolis
- Inventories of his property revealed that he owned 31 slaves in addition to multiple scientific
instruments including a camera obscura
- Passed away on 9 April, 1778
 Eleanor Addison
by John Hesselius c. 1773 - 1775
(Addison Gallery of American Art)
 Colonel William Allen
by John Hesselius c. 1756 - 1758
(Detroit Institute of Arts)
 Mrs. William Allen
by John Hesselius c. 1756 - 1758
(Detroit Institute of Arts)
 John Bolton
by John Hesselius 1759
(Sotheby’s)
Mrs. John Brice (Mary Macubbin)
by John Hesselius 1766
(Milwaukee Art Museum)
Dr. Gustavus Brown
by John Hesselius
(Unknown)
 Reverend Richard Brown
by John Hesselius c. 1756 - 1758
(Smithsonian American Art Museum - Renwick Gallery)
 Mrs. Richard Brown
by John Hesselius c. 1756 - 1758
(Smithsonian American Art Museum - Renwick Gallery)
 William Byrd III
by John Hesselius
(Virginia Historical Society)
Charles Calvert and His Slave
by John Hesselius 1761
(Baltimore Museum of Art)
 Eleanor Calvert
by John Hesselius 1761
(Baltimore Museum of Art)
 Elizabeth Calvert
by John Hesselius 1761
(Baltimore Museum of Art)
 John Carlysle of Virginia
by John Hesselius c. 1765
(Carlysle House Historic Park, Alexandria, Virginia)
Mrs. William Carmichael
by John Hesselius c. 1764
(Art Institute of Chicago)
Mrs. Charles Carroll (Margaret Tilghman)
by John Hesselius 1765
(Unknown)
 Miss Carroll
by John Hesselius
(Frick Art Reference Library)
Mrs. Charles Carter (Dorothy Blake)
by John Hesselius
(Frick Art Reference Library)
Mrs. Charles Carter (Ann Byrd) with Her Children
by John Hesselius c. 1750
(Frick Art Reference Library)
 Thomas Chamberlain
by John Hesselius c. 1772 - 1773
(Detroit Institute of Arts)
 Samuel Chew of Anne Arundel County, Maryland
by John Hesselius c. 1762
(MESDA - Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts)
 Captain Slater Clay
by John Hesselius c. 1759
(Dickinson College - The Trout Gallery)
Mrs.Slater Clay (Ann Curtis)
by John Hesselius c. 1759
(Schwarz Gallery)
 Thomas Clay
by John Hesselius 1759
(Philadelphia Museum of Art)
Mrs. William Dainerfield (Sarah Taliaferro)
by John Hesselius 1765
(Unknown)
Brigadier General John Dent, His Wife, Ann (Herbert), and Daughter, Ann Herbert
by John Hesselius 1770
(The Nelson - Atkins Museum of Art)
 Colonel Edward Fell
by John Hesselius c. 1764
(Maryland Historical Society)
Mrs. Edward Fell (Ann Bond)
by John Hesselius c. 1764
(Maryland Historical Society)
 Benjamin Fendall, Sr.
by John Hesselius
(Frick Art Reference Library)
 Reverend Samuel Finley
by John Hesselius
(Indianapolis Museum of Art)
 Anna Dorthea Finney
by John Hesselius 1760
(Sewell Biggs Museum of Art)
Captain Henry Fitzhugh of Virginia
by John Hesselius 1751
(Virginia Historical Society)
Colonel Henry Fitzhugh of Virginia
by John Hesselius 1751
(Virginia Historical Society)
 Philip Francis
by John Hesselius c. 1763
(Cincinnati Art Museum)
Mrs. Richard Galloway, Jr. (Sophia Richardson)
by John Hesselius 1764
(Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Colonel James Gordon of Virginia
by John Hesselius 1750
(Virginia Historical Society)
Mrs. James Gordon (Mellicent Conway)
by John Hesselius 1750
(Virginia Historical Society)
 Ann and Sarah Gordon
by John Hesselius 1750
(Virginia Historical Society)
The Children of Phillip Grymes and His Wife Mary Randolph
by John Hesselius 1751
(Virginia Historical Society)
 John Hanson
by John Hesselius c. 1760
(Baltimore Museum of Art)
 John Hanson
by John Hesselius c. 1770
(Unknown)
Mrs. John Hesselius (Mary Young)
by John Hesselius c. 1763
(Frick Art Reference Library)
Gustavus Hesselius, Jr. with His Nurse
by John Hesselius c. 1767
(Baltimore Museum of Art)
Rebecca Holdsworth and Her Granddaughter Rebecca Woodward
by John Hesselius c. 1763
(Winterthur)
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer
by John Hesselius c. 1760
(Unknown)
Mrs. Thomas Jenings (Juliana Steven)
by John Hesselius c. 1760
(Frick Art Reference Library)
 Reverend Abraham Keteltas
by John Hesselius 1758
(New York Historical Society)
 Miss Mary Keen
by John Hesselius c. 1750
(Philadelphia Museum of Art)
 William Knox
by John Hesselius c. 1771
(Sotheby’s)
Mrs. William Knox (Susanna Stuart Fitzhugh)
by John Hesselius c. 1771
(Sotheby’s)
 Gavin Lawson of Virginia
by John Hesselius c. 1760s
(Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg)
Mrs. Gavin Lawson (Susanna Rose)
by John Hesselius c. 1770
(Colonial Williamsburg Foundation)
Mrs. John Lewis (Priscilla Churchill)
by John Hesselius c. 1750
(Frick Art Reference Library)
Mrs. William Lightfoot and Her Niece
by John Hesselius
(Frick Art Reference Library)
Mrs. Robert Lloyd (Anna Maria Tilghman)
by John Hesselius
(Frick Art Reference Library)
 George Mason of Gunston Hall
by John Hesselius 1750
(George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom)
 Archibald McCall
by John Hesselius c. 1755 - 1760
(Metropolitan Museum of Art)
 Mrs. Mieeletonl
by John Hesselius 1760
(Private Collection / Hammond - Harwood House)
 Robert Morris, Sr.
by John Hesselius c. 1742
(Frick Art Reference Library)
Mrs. Jeremiah Nicols (Deborah Lloyd)
by John Hesselius 1751
(Frick Art Reference Library)
 John Paca
by John Hesselius c. 1765
(Maryland State Archives - The Peabody Collection)
Mrs. William Penn (Hannah Callowhill)
by John Hesselius c. 1742
(Frick Art Reference Library)
 Mrs. John Redman
by John Hesselius c. 1749
(Frick Art Reference Library)
 Captain Charles Ridgely
by John Hesselius 1767
(Hampton National Historic Site)
Mrs. Charles Ridgely (Rebecca Dorsey)
by John Hesselius 1767
(Hampton National Historic Site)
 Mrs. Robert Rose (Ann Fitzhugh)
by John Hesselius 1771
(Colonial Williamsburg Foundation)
 George Ross, Jr.
by John Hesselius
(Colonial Williamsburg Foundation)
Mrs. Samuel Selden (Mary Thomson Mason)
by John Hesselius
(Frick Art Reference Library)
Mrs. Henry Slaymaker (Faithful Richardson)
by John Hesselius 1754
(Frick Art Reference Library)
Mrs. Elizabeth Smith (Elizabeth Chew)
by John Hesselius 1762
(The Brooklyn Museum)
Mrs. Elizabeth Smith (Elizabeth Chew)
by John Hesselius 1762
(Los Angeles County Museum of Art)
 Thomas Sprigg
by John Hesselius 1764
(North Carolina Museum of Art)
Mrs. Thomas Sprigg (Elizabeth Galloway)
by John Hesselius 1764
(Art Institute of Chicago)
 Anthony Stewart
by John Hesselius c. 1760 - 1769
(Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
 Mrs. Anthony Stewart
by John Hesselius c. 1760 - 1769
(Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
Mrs. Matthew Tilghman (Anna Lloyd)
by John Hesselius c. 1760
(Frick Art Reference Library)
Mrs. Matthew Tilghman (Anna Lloyd) and Her Daughter, Anna Maria
by John Hesselius 1757
(Museum of Fine Arts, Houston)
 Mrs. Susana Ulrich
by John Hesselius c. 1750
(Frick Art Reference Library)
 Mary Curtis Van Bebber
by John Hesselius c. 1750
(New Castle Historical Society, Delaware)
Mrs. Richard Young (Rebecca Holdsworth) and her Granddaughter Rebecca Woodward
by John Hesselius 1763
(Winterthur)
 Portrait of a Young Student
Attributed to John Hesselius
(John Flint Fine Arts & Antiques)
 Acknowledgements

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