Gentleman with Sideburns

Date1835-1840 (probably)

Attributed to Aaron Dean Fletcher (1817-1902)

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsUnframed: 26 x 23 5/8in. (66 x 60cm) and Framed: 30 3/4 x 28in.

Credit LineGift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller

Object number1931.100.19

DescriptionA half-length portrait of a man facing left. He has brown hair and long sideburns. He wears a black jacket and waistcoat with a white shirt and black neck cloth. His proper right hand rests on his hip, his thumb appearing to be stuck in the top of his trousers, the left hand not shown. The background is painted light brown.
The 2 1/2-inch molded gilded frame is a modern replacement.
Label TextAlthough found in New York State, the style of this portrait and its companion (1931.100.20) relates most directly to Aaron Fletcher's work between 1835 and 1840, when he was painting in the areas of Springfield, Rockingham, and Saxtons River, Vermont.

Both portraits exhibit the exaggerated articulation of facial structures characteristic of Fletcher's hand. Individual features are particularly chiseled in appearance, with sharply ridged upper lips, oddly puffed chins, and heavy-lidded eyes. Shadows beneath the eyes create the illusion of bags, and the mouths are fleshy and sensual. Such emphasis probably resulted from Fletcher's intense concentration on these areas, often at the expense of other aspects of the portrait.
ProvenanceFound in New York state by Editor Gregor Halpert, Downtown Gallery, New York, NY; bought from Halpert October 3, 1931, by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, by whom given to CWF in 1939.