Bequest of George Dudley Seymour, 1945.1.19, Connecticut Historical Society, No known copyright

Abigail Hurlbut Welles

SubjectPortrait of Abigail Hurlbut Welles (1740 or 1741 - 1814)

Dateabout 1914-1915

MediumPainting; oil on canvas

DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width): 30 × 25 1/2in. (76.2 × 64.8cm)

ClassificationsPainting

Credit LineBequest of George Dudley Seymour

Object number1945.1.19

DescriptionPainting of Abigal Hurlbut Welles attributed to Huc-Mazelet Luquiens after an earlier drawing of the subject. She is depicted in older age. She has a ruddy complexion, and white hair that is entirely covered by a white, ruffled cap held closely to her head with a broad black band and tied under her neck with narrow black strings. She wears a dark, reddish-brown dress and a string of gold beads. The background is a dull, dark oval on a darker square ground.

NotesGeorge Dudley Seymour's will states, "...portraits in oil of Captain Robert Wells IV and Abigail (Hurlbert) Wells of Newington, his wife (my great-great grandfather and grandmother), painted by Luquiens from old drawings in my possession, which were much praised by John Singer Sargent but never identified as to who did them from life. Captain Wells was a leading citizen and in the Old French War."

Status

Not on view