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The subject of this miniature may in fact be Joseph Curtiss Burritt, the husband of Hettey Maria Lord. Information in the NYSHA files indicate these two miniatures are a pair. A comparison between this portrait and two existing photographs of Burritt as an older man support this notation.
Joseph C. Burritt was born on January 26, 1817 to Joseph and Asenath Curtiss Burritt of Ithaca, New York. In May of 1838, Burritt began working for his father's jewelry business which also offered watch repair services and eventually photographic supplies. He assumed control over the firm in the early 1860s. Influenced by local photographers who frequented his store, the mechanically inclined Burritt naturally became interested in the burgeoning field of photography and pursued it as a hobby. During the 1860s, Burritt took over four hundred photographs documenting the people, places and the countryside around Ithaca, thus establishing a local reputation as a prominent early photographer.
Exhibition History“Henry Walton, 19th Century American Artist,” Ithaca College Museum of Art, Ithaca, NY, December 9, 1968 – January 4, 1969; Herbert F. Johnson Museum, Ithaca, NY, May 10, 1988 – June 26, 1988; Everhart Museum, Scranton, PA, July 3, 1988 – October 26, 1988; New York State Museum, Albany, NY, November 12, 1988 – January 29. 1989.
BibliographyPaul S. D'Ambrosio and Charlotte M. Emans, Folk Arts' Many Faces; Portraits in The New York Historical Association, (New York State Historical Association, Cooperstown, New York 1987), pp. 150-151, ill. 90.
Leigh Rehner, Henry Walton, 19th Century American Artist, (exh. cat. Ithaca, NY: Ithaca College Museum of Art, 1968), p. 34. ill. 31.
Artist
Henry Walton
(1804 - 1865)
Probably Joseph Curtiss Burritt
Date1840
MediumWatercolor on ivory
DimensionsSight: 2 3/8 × 1 15/16 in. (6 × 4.9 cm)
Object numberN0211.1970
Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of Albert Force
Photograph by Richard Walker
Label Text
Although the artist is known primarily for his portrait work in watercolor on paper and oil on canvas, Henry Walton also painted portrait miniatures in oil on ivory. Thus far, six examples of these have been found; two depict subjects from Ithaca, New York, and three are dated 1840.
The subject of this miniature may in fact be Joseph Curtiss Burritt, the husband of Hettey Maria Lord. Information in the NYSHA files indicate these two miniatures are a pair. A comparison between this portrait and two existing photographs of Burritt as an older man support this notation.
Joseph C. Burritt was born on January 26, 1817 to Joseph and Asenath Curtiss Burritt of Ithaca, New York. In May of 1838, Burritt began working for his father's jewelry business which also offered watch repair services and eventually photographic supplies. He assumed control over the firm in the early 1860s. Influenced by local photographers who frequented his store, the mechanically inclined Burritt naturally became interested in the burgeoning field of photography and pursued it as a hobby. During the 1860s, Burritt took over four hundred photographs documenting the people, places and the countryside around Ithaca, thus establishing a local reputation as a prominent early photographer.
Exhibition History“Henry Walton, 19th Century American Artist,” Ithaca College Museum of Art, Ithaca, NY, December 9, 1968 – January 4, 1969; Herbert F. Johnson Museum, Ithaca, NY, May 10, 1988 – June 26, 1988; Everhart Museum, Scranton, PA, July 3, 1988 – October 26, 1988; New York State Museum, Albany, NY, November 12, 1988 – January 29. 1989.
BibliographyPaul S. D'Ambrosio and Charlotte M. Emans, Folk Arts' Many Faces; Portraits in The New York Historical Association, (New York State Historical Association, Cooperstown, New York 1987), pp. 150-151, ill. 90.
Leigh Rehner, Henry Walton, 19th Century American Artist, (exh. cat. Ithaca, NY: Ithaca College Museum of Art, 1968), p. 34. ill. 31.
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