James Bidwell Gilman
ArtistPainted by
Unknown
SubjectPortrait of
James Bidwell Gilman
(1815-1863)
Dateprobably 1841
MediumMiniature; watercolor on ivory under glass in metal frame, in velvet-covered case with satin lining
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 2 x 1 11/16in. (5.1 x 4.4cm)
Frame (height x width x depth ): 2 9/16 x 2 x 1/8in. (6.5 x 5.1 x 0.4cm)
Other (height x width x depth of case ): 3 x 2 9/16 x 7/16in. (7.6 x 6.5 x 1.1cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineGift of Harriet Gilman
Object number1901.1.1
DescriptionBust-length portrait of a man with dark brown hair, eyeglasses, brown eyes, and long sideburns. He is wearing a white shirt, stock or cravat, waistcoat, and dark blue jacket. The miniature is in a metal frame, which has a lock of dark brown hair in an opening on the back under glass. The framed miniature is set in a dark blue velvet-covered case that is lined with white and yellow satin.
Label TextJames Bidwell Gilman (b. 1815) was the son of a druggist in Hartford, Connecticut. As a young man, he pursued his father's business in Hartford, but in 1847, he moved to Mobile, Alabama, where he became a looking glass maker and dealer. A series of letters at the Connecticut Historical Society written to Gilman by his uncle, Stephen Spencer, between 1860 and 1861 shed interesting light on the position of a northern merchant living and doing business in the South. Gilman lost both his business and his life during the Civil War. He is buried in the Old North Cemetery in Hartford, Connecticut with his wife, Jane Elizabeth Bull.
NotesDate Note: According to information from the donor this was painted when the subject was 26 years old, dating the miniature to about 1841. (Ozzone 4/4/2013)Status
Not on view
before 1845
