John R. Pitkin

Date1824

MediumOil on wood panel

DimensionsSight: 30 1/4 × 24 1/4 in. (76.8 × 61.6 cm)

Object numberN0018.2003(01)

Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of Marguerite Riordan

Photograph by Richard Walker

Label TextThis pair of portraits depicts John R. Pitkin, age 29 and Sophia Pitkin, age 25. John Pitkin was a businessman engaged in newspaper publishing, manufacturing, and land development in New York City. In 1836, he laid out streets and lots in what is now Brooklyn. Herring signed the portrait of John R. Pitkin in the paper he is shown holding, in the form a receipted bill, which reads, "for paint / portraits Jas. Herring." James Herring is recognized for romanticized likenesses such as these early in his career, and for careful rendering of specific details such as the background scenes in these paintings.

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