Honorable William Jarvis

Painting

Vermont Historical Society

Name/Title

Honorable William Jarvis

Entry/Object ID

1961.53.1

Description

Portrait showing an older man with a jovial expression, looking directly at the viewer. He is seated in profile and wearing a black suit, white shirt with a high collar, and a white cravat. He has a receding hairline, but shoulder-length gray hair in the back. He is seated in a red armchair. His left hand is clenched, but his right hand remains loose on the arm of the chair.

Type of Painting

Easel

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil

Subject Person

Jarvis, William (1770–1859)

Acquisition

Accession

1961.53

Source or Donor

Hunt, Virginia Sowers (1875-1963)

Acquisition Method

Gift

Made/Created

Date made

circa 1850

Place

Town

Weathersfield

County

Windsor County

State/Province

Vermont

Country

United States of America

Continent

North America

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Portrait

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Painting

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Picture

Nomenclature Class

Art

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Overall (unframed)

Height

35-1/2 in

Width

28-1/2 in

Dimension Description

Overall (framed)

Height

46 in

Width

38-1/2 in

Depth

3 in

Web Links and URLs

"William Jarvis (merchant)" Wikipedia Article

Interpretative Labels

Label

Honorable William Jarvis, c. 1850 Unknown Artist Weathersfield, VT Oil on canvas Gift of Mrs. Leavitt Jarvis Hunt, #A-120 William Jarvis of Weathersfield, Vermont, served as the consul to Lisbon and Charge d'Affairs to Portugal under Presidents Jefferson and Madison. His time on the Iberian peninsula introduced him to the prized Merino sheep. Upon his return to Vermont, he became the largest importer of Merino sheep to the United States. The resulting sheep craze transformed Vermont's landscape and economy for decades to come.