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James Earl

Portrait of Captain Samuel Packard

Now On View

Description

Maker

James Earl (American, 1761-1796)

Title

Portrait of Captain Samuel Packard

Year

ca. 1795

Medium

Oil on canvas

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Oil on canvas

Materials

oil paint

Supports

canvas

Geography

Geographic Reference: United States of America

Dimensions

88.9 x 74.3 cm (35 x 29 1/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signature: Unsigned

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Bequest of Miss Louise B. Bowen

Object Number

21.485

Type

Paintings

Exhibition History

18th and 19th-Century American Galleries

Jun 19, 2015

Charles Pendleton House

Jan 02, 2015

Making It In America

Oct 11, 2013 – Feb 09, 2014

Label copy

Seated casually in a Windsor chair, Samuel Packard signals his social and professional role in the new republic. The plush drapery, the decorative column, Packard’s fashionable bright-hued waistcoat all suggest that is a man of wealth. The ship in the distance and the spyglass refer to his interests in maritime trade.

A merchant and talented mariner, Packard owned 39 vessels that sailed from Providence. Around the time of this portrait, Packard had completed missions abroad for George Washington, so the ships may also allude to Packard’s diplomatic travels.

Selection VII

American Paintings from the Museum's Collection, ca. 1800-1930

Mar 31, 1977 – May 08, 1977

Exhibition of Colonial and Federal Portraits 1730-1830 (in Honor of Colonial Dames Anniversary)

Mar 08, 1968 – Apr 09, 1967

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

James Earl (American, 1761-1796)

Portrait of Captain Samuel Packard, ca. 1795

Oil on canvas

88.9 x 74.3 cm (35 x 29 1/4 inches)

Bequest of Miss Louise B. Bowen 21.485

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