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J. DeMott Smith was born in Lodi or Ovid, New York, on December 10, 1832. He was the son of Eliza Ann Baker and Colonel Ralph Smith, a wealthy agriculturist and prominent military officer. J. DeMott is listed in the federal census records in 1860 as a lawyer, living in Ulysses, New York, with his wife Mary and children.
Exhibition History“Rediscovered Painters of Upstate New York,” New York Historical Society, NY, February 1, 1959 – February 28, 1959; Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts, Syracuse, NY, January 4, 1959 – January 25, 1959; Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, NY, November 30, 1958 – December 21, 1958; Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY, October 30, 1958 – November 20, 1958; Rochester Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY, September 26, 1958 – October 21, 1958; New York State Historical Association, Cooperstown, NY, June 14, 1958 – September 15, 1958.
“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.
“American Folk Art: Collection from the Fenimore Art Museum,” Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, January 25, 2001 – March 24, 2001.
BibliographyPaul S. D'Ambrosio and Charlotte M. Emans, Folk Art's Many Faces: Portraits in the New York State Historical Association, (Cooperstown: NYSHA, 1987), pp. 151-153, ill. 92.
Agnes Halsey Jones, Rediscovered Painters of Upstate New York, 1700-1875. (exh. cat. Utica, NY: Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, 1958), p. 75, cat. no. 73, ill. 73.
Leigh Rehner, Henry Walton, 19th Century American Artist, (exh. cat. Ithaca, NY: Ithaca College Museum of Art, 1968), pp. 24-25, ill. 18.
Artist
Henry Walton
(1804 - 1865)
De Mott Smith
Date1841
DimensionsSight: 10 5/8 × 6 9/16 in. (27 × 16.7 cm)
Object numberN0214.1970
Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of Albert Force
Photograph by Richard Walker
Label TextIn his portraits of children, as in this likeness of DeMott Smith, Henry Walton expressed a special fondness for patterned details rendered with strong, vibrant colors. With DeMott's bright blue suit and his violet-colored vest, decorated with dotted lines of red and white, Walton conveys a sense of youthful vitality. The green and red colors in the lively, patterned floor covering provide further evidence of Walton's understanding of complementary contrasts and their contribution to a dynamic portrait.
J. DeMott Smith was born in Lodi or Ovid, New York, on December 10, 1832. He was the son of Eliza Ann Baker and Colonel Ralph Smith, a wealthy agriculturist and prominent military officer. J. DeMott is listed in the federal census records in 1860 as a lawyer, living in Ulysses, New York, with his wife Mary and children.
Exhibition History“Rediscovered Painters of Upstate New York,” New York Historical Society, NY, February 1, 1959 – February 28, 1959; Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts, Syracuse, NY, January 4, 1959 – January 25, 1959; Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, NY, November 30, 1958 – December 21, 1958; Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY, October 30, 1958 – November 20, 1958; Rochester Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY, September 26, 1958 – October 21, 1958; New York State Historical Association, Cooperstown, NY, June 14, 1958 – September 15, 1958.
“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.
“American Folk Art: Collection from the Fenimore Art Museum,” Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, January 25, 2001 – March 24, 2001.
BibliographyPaul S. D'Ambrosio and Charlotte M. Emans, Folk Art's Many Faces: Portraits in the New York State Historical Association, (Cooperstown: NYSHA, 1987), pp. 151-153, ill. 92.
Agnes Halsey Jones, Rediscovered Painters of Upstate New York, 1700-1875. (exh. cat. Utica, NY: Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, 1958), p. 75, cat. no. 73, ill. 73.
Leigh Rehner, Henry Walton, 19th Century American Artist, (exh. cat. Ithaca, NY: Ithaca College Museum of Art, 1968), pp. 24-25, ill. 18.
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