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2016-112, Portrait
Portrait of Dr. Philip Barraud
2016-112, Portrait

Portrait of Dr. Philip Barraud

Dateca. 1820
OriginAmerica, Virginia, Norfolk (possibly)
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall (unframed): 30 3/8 x 25 1/8in. (77.2 x 63.8cm)
Credit LineGift of Benjamin Baker
Object number2016-112
DescriptionA half-length portrait of a middle-aged man with grey blond hair and pale blue eyes. He wears a dark suit with a white, painterly rendered stock. He is seated with his arm draped over the back of a green painted chair with stiles turned in imitation of bamboo. The background is a scumbled purplish brown.
Label TextDr. Philip Barraud (1757-1830) was the eldest son of Daniel (2016-111) and Catherine Curle Barraud (1987-20). He was raised in Norfolk, but moved to Williamsburg by 1782. During his residency in Williamsburg, Barraud occupied a home on Francis Street (now one of the 88 original structures maintained by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation). Dr. Barraud married Ann Blaws Hansford (1760-1836) on July 22, 1783, around the time of his appearance in Williamsburg records. The couple were depicted in their old age in two portraits by William James Hubard, completed around 1828-1830, which are also in the Colonial Williamsburg collection (1988-221 & 222). Barraud was active as a member of the William and Mary Board of Visitors (1791) and served the Public Hospital 1791-1799, at which time he relocated to Norfolk in order to accept the position of superintendent of the Marine Hospital.

The painting of Dr. Barraud (2016.112) may be the work of artist William Dunlap (and has been loosely attributed to him in the past). Dunlap’s diary records his time in Norfolk, and “Dr. Barraud” appears as an entry on May 30th, 1821. Dunlap also spent the evening of Sunday, January 14th, 1821 at Barraud’s house. The style of the painting, however, differs from other works by Dunlap of Norfolk sitters. Like many portraits, Dr. Barraud has been altered with overpaint during later restoration campaigns, so further analysis may clarify this attribution.


ProvenanceAlthough not documented, the portrait appears to have passed to son Philip Barraud (1757-1830), then to his daughter Lelianna (Lelia) Anne Barraud Baker (1805-1893), the youngest child of Philip and wife of Richard. H. Baker. The portrait continued through the Baker line, likely from Lelianna Baker to Richard Henry Baker (1826-1911), to Benjamin May Baker (1865-1934), then to Dr. Benjamin May Baker (1901-2003). It was donated by his son, Benjamin M. Baker, along with the portrait of his father Daniel Barraud (2016-111) in 2016.