Portrait of John Clarke Sinton (1817-1888)

Date1835-1840

Attributed to Charles Burton (1782 - after 1847)

Mediumwatercolor and graphite on paper

DimensionsUnframed: 10 3/16 x 8 3/16in. (25.9 x 20.8cm) and Framed: 14 x 12 in.

Credit LineGift of Louise Sinton Clay and Caryl Sinton Carlson in memory of their father, Admiral William Sinton, USN (Ret)

Object number2001.300.3

DescriptionA bust-length profile portrait of a young man facing left, shown beside a balustrade with a marble column behind and to the right. A drape is pulled to one side behind him, showing a mountainous landscape view beyond. His hair is cut ear-length in the front but much shorter in the back; it is parted on the left. He wears a black coat, black tie, light waistcoat, white shirt with rounded collar, and a stock pin.
Label TextIncluded among the numerous Richmond, Virginia, portrait subjects depicted by Charles Burton are at least a dozen members of John Clarke Sinton's extended family, including his parents, who were emigrants from Ireland. The bust-length and profile format of this portrait are typical of the larger group, as is the significant amount of detail in the background.
The subject married Ellen S. Watson (?-1903); their children were John Watson (1846-1857), William (1849-1911), Egbert W. (1851-1852), Jane Garrett (1852- 1929), Arthur C. (1854-?), James W. (1856- 1920), Eugenia (1859-1925), and Ellen W. (1861-1907). Tombstones for the subject, his wife, and at least five of their children stand in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia.
InscribedThere are two modern labels on the reverse of the backboard. One reads, "William Sinton/ B. 1778 D. 1860". [This suggests that the frames for 2001.300.1 and 2001.300.3 were switched at some point, it is not known why]. The other label reads, "For/Caryl S. Carlson". In white chalk on the backboard is "883 [the remainder falls beneath label #2 above]." "6" in pencil appears upside down on the back of the lower frame member.
In pencil in script on the back of the plain paper tertiary support is "B(ast Winston?)". This is almost entirely illegible except for the initial "B," which compares favorably with Charles Burton's capital Bs.
ProvenanceFrom the subject to his grandson, Arthur C. Sinton (1854-1933); to his dauther, Mrs. Howard Sutton (Ellen Binford Sinton) (1884- 1968); to her brother, Admiral William Sinton (1896-1977); to his wife, Mrs. William Sinton (Christine Lincoln) (1902-1988); to her daughter, Mrs. Harry F. Carlson, Jr. (Caryl Sinton), who is AAFFAM's donor.