James S. Peck

Peck

Name/Title

James S. Peck

Entry/Object ID

1920.9.1

Description

Portrait of a man facing 3/4 right. He is shown wearing a dark-color overcoat and has short brown hair and a narrow brown beard.

Type of Painting

Easel

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil

Subject Person

Peck, James Stevens (1838-1884)

Context

James S. Peck was Assistant State's Attorney for Vermont from 1869 to 1880. The son of a cabinetmaker, Thomas Waterman Wood was born in Montpelier, Vermont in 1823. He showed an early aptitude for painting and was apprenticed to Boston portrait artist Chester Harding. In 1850 he married and built a carpenter gothic summer home in Montpelier. For much of the ensuing decade he traveled throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe while supporting himself through portrait painting. Wood set up a permanent studio in New York City with a specialty on figure drawing. During and after the Civil War he started creating genre paintings which brought him national recognition. He was ultimately accepted in the National Academy of Design and served as its vice-president and president. He continued to spend summers in Montpelier and considered Vermont his home. His portraits are very common throughout central Vermont with many held by the Vermont Historical Society. Upon his death he left funds to create the T.W. Wood Gallery in Montpelier. He chose to be buried in Montpelier's Green Mount Cemetery.

Acquisition

Accession

1920.9

Source or Donor

Peck, Ellen Mary Blake (1840-1920)

Acquisition Method

Unknown

Made/Created

Artist

Wood, Thomas Waterman (1823-1903)

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Painting

Nomenclature Class

Art

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Overall

Height

27 in

Width

22 in

Depth

7/8 in

Relationships

Related Places

Place

City

Montpelier

County

Washington County

State/Province

Vermont

Country

United States of America

Continent

North America