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Ann took over decorating by the age of fourteen or fifteen and probably taught her sisters how to paint. She married Eli Scutt in the early 1840s and moved with him to Livingstonville, New York. Her work is characterized by dense decoration with a variety of tulips, rosebuds, and diamond baskets, with multiple filler elements, her signature initials can be seen on the back of the trunk. The still life is the only known example of a watercolor by Butler. Her watercolor is painted with the same floral motifs and color palette as found on her decorations on trunk.
BibliographyMargaret Coffin, The History and Folklore of American Tinware 1700-1900 (New York, 1968), p. 130.
Gina Martin and Lois Tucker, American Painted Tinware, A Guide to Its Identification, Volume I (New York, 1997), p. 122, fig. 4.7.
Attributed to
Butler Shop
(1813 - 1855)
Painted decoration by
Ann Butler
(1813 - 1887)
Related Person
Aaron Butler
(1790 - 1860)
Trunk
Date1835-1840
DimensionsOverall: 4 3/8 × 7 1/2 × 4 in. (11.1 × 19.1 × 10.2 cm)
Object numberN0005.2020(02)
Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Museum Purchase, made possible through the generosity of David A. Schorsch
Photograph by Richard Walker
Label TextAnn Butler was the eldest daughter of successful New York businessman, Aaron Butler (1790-1860). The Butlers moved from Connecticut to Greene County New York in 1799 and established multiple businesses including a general store and cider mill. The family home on Brandy Hill became the site of Aaron’s tin shop, known as the Butler Shop, which opened in 1824 and continued to operate until just before Aaron’s death. Butler's sons were occupied with the manufacture and distribution of the tin wares, and several of his daughters painted the floral decorations.Ann took over decorating by the age of fourteen or fifteen and probably taught her sisters how to paint. She married Eli Scutt in the early 1840s and moved with him to Livingstonville, New York. Her work is characterized by dense decoration with a variety of tulips, rosebuds, and diamond baskets, with multiple filler elements, her signature initials can be seen on the back of the trunk. The still life is the only known example of a watercolor by Butler. Her watercolor is painted with the same floral motifs and color palette as found on her decorations on trunk.
BibliographyMargaret Coffin, The History and Folklore of American Tinware 1700-1900 (New York, 1968), p. 130.
Gina Martin and Lois Tucker, American Painted Tinware, A Guide to Its Identification, Volume I (New York, 1997), p. 122, fig. 4.7.
On View
On view
c. 1795-1820
