Dr. Theoderick Love (1781-1852)

Date1805 or 1809

Artist Erastus Deane (ac. 1799-ca. 1820)

OriginAmerica, Virginia, Prince Edward County (possibly)

MediumWatercolor on ivory having a laid paper secondary support, the whole in a case of rolled (or "shell") gold with a brass bezel.

DimensionsUnframed: 2 3/4 x 2 3/16in. (7 x 5.6cm) and Framed: 3 x 2 1/2in. (7.6 x 6.4cm)

Credit LineGift of Thomas R. Terry in memory of Annie Merle Davis.

Object number2002-105

DescriptionA miniature half-length portrait of a man turned one-quarter towards the viewer's right. His hands hang down out of the picture and are not shown. He wears a white waistcoat, a high-collared dark blue coat whose details are emphasized in gum arabic, and a white shirt. His neckware appears to be a white cravat whose ends hang loosely at the front (vs. a frilled shirt). The sitter has dark brown eyes and dark brown-black curly hair that is swept off his face but hangs down over his coat collar at the back. He also sports longish sideburns. He gazes directly at the viewer. The background is a neutral plum color, slightly lightened around the sitter. The primary support of ivory was scored in parallel lines prior to painting.

The oval metal case, bezel, and glass are believed original.
Label TextThe subject was the son of Samuel Love (1752-?) and his wife, Sarah ("Sally") Carter (?-?)), who married December 26, 1778. Samuel conducted a medical practice in Prince Edward County, Virginia, where this portrait of his son likely was painted.

Theoderick Love was the elder of two children, his sister being Sarah Carter Love (1783-?). In January 1808, Theoderick married Maria Henderson Cutler (b. ca. 1791-?), daughter of Dr. William Cutler (1766-1836) and his first wife. (Her name and life dates are unknown.) Thus, Theoderick, both the son and son-in-law of doctors, found a readymade calling. Among the six children born to Theoderick and Maria, at least two of their daughters married doctors.

Little is known about the artist, Erastus Deane. He advertised miniature painting in Richmond in 1806 and 1807 and in Petersburg in 1807. Rather than sitting in Prince Edward County, Theoderick Love could have traveled to either city to have his portrait taken. A signed portrait of Matilda Kinney Stribling (1817-1898) that shows her as an older girl or young woman is a primary factor in pushing the terminal date of Deane's known activity into the 1820s.

InscribedUnder IR and magnification, three lines of lettering are apparent at lower right. They seem to read, in forward sloping letters, some of them joined and some unjoined: "Deane/Pinxt/180[5? or 9?]". The ends of all three lines are somewhat muddled by retouching that was done before the miniature was acquired. The last "e" of the surname is hard to decipher but appears to be present in most lighting and is tilted onto its back in a manner consistent with at least one other example of Deane's signature. (See the inscription on his portrait of Benjamin Harrison.)
ProvenanceThe line of descent of the miniature is thought to be as follows, with all but the last change of hands being presumed: from the subject to his daughter, Mrs. Henry Allen Vaughan (nee Cordelia Henderson Love, 1820-1886); to her daughter, Mrs. Henry Theoderick Booker (nee Theodora Maria Vaughan, 1853-1939); to her daughter, Mrs. Nicholas Alston Davis (nee Jessie May Booker, 1879-1956); to her daughter, Annie Merle Davis (1901-1996); to her cousin, CWF's donor.