Name/Title
Portrait of Mary Cantey HamptonEntry/Object ID
1999.1.1Description
Oil portrait of a woman in a black dress and white bonnet seated in red upholstered chair. She has brown eyes and brown hair poking out from under the bonnet. Signed and dated on back "H. Inman, 1836." A stamp on the back also reads "Prepared by Edward Dechaux New York."Type of Painting
EaselArtwork Details
Subject Person
Mary Cantey HamptonContext
Mary Cantey Hampton (1779–1863) was the third wife of Wade Hampton I (1754–1835) and became the matriarch of the family following her husband's death. This portrait was completed a year after his passing, with Mary Cantey Hampton posing in mourning attire, as was customary at the time.
Hampton spent forty years of her life in the Hampton-Preston Mansion with her children and grandchildren. Only one of her six biological children, Caroline Hampton (1807–1883), outlived her. According to probate records, Hampton enslaved thirty-one individuals at the time of her death. These men, women, and children were collectively valued at $33,000, and their ownership was later divided among eleven of Hampton’s relatives.
This painting was produced by Henry Inman (1801–1846), an artist born to English immigrants in New York. There, he studied under John Wesley Jarvis (c. 1780–1839), a prominent New York portrait artist who had trained under the renowned Edward Savage (1761–1817). Inman traveled extensively with Jarvis until the early 1820s, when his contract ended.
Inman played a significant role in the founding of the National Academy of Design and notably assisted Charles Bird King (1785–1862) as he reproduced over a hundred portraits of Native American chiefs for the three-volume book "History of Indian Tribes of North America." Later, Henry Inman taught fellow portraitist James DeVeaux (1812–1844), who painted several members of the Manning family, relations of the Hamptons and the Prestons.
This canvas was prepared by Edward Dechaux in New York. Dechaux's art supply business streamlined the process for artists by preparing canvases and applying background color. It is possible that Hampton traveled to New York for the creation of this portrait.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Henry InmanRole
Media ArtistDate made
1836Dimensions
Height
34-1/2 inWidth
29-1/4 in
