Name/Title
Portrait of Captain Joseph MatthewsEntry/Object ID
2008.15.1Description
Painted portrait of a man with a dark beard and hair, dressed in a military style coat. There are brass palmetto tree clasps on the shoulders of his uniform. The backside of the frame contains handwritten information about the sitter and his descendants.Artwork Details
Medium
OilSubject
Captain Joseph Matthews (1802–1856).Context
While born in Liverpool, England, Joseph Matthews (1802–1856) lived most of his life in Columbia, South Carolina, and served as a captain in the US Army. He was married to Margaret Jane Campbell (1818–1865) and later served as the superintendent of Arsenal Academy—an all-boys military academy in Columbia—from 1845 until 1856. Today, the Arsenal Hill neighborhood encompasses the former campus and features the South Carolina Governor's Mansion, which once housed academy officers like Matthews.Dimensions
Width
11-3/4 inLength
12-3/4 in
