James Watson Webb
MediumOil on canvas in frame
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width): 40 × 35in. (101.6 × 88.9cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineGift of Francis Webb
Object number1957.52.1
DescriptionBust-length portrait of James Watson Webb attributed to Rufus Wright. Webb is shown in older age, with a chinstrap beard and thick white hair. He is wearing a black jacket and bow tie with a white shirt.
NotesConstituent note: Painting's attribution is possibly based on research undertaken by William L. Warren, CHS's former curator, in the 1950s and '60s. However, the basis for the attribution is unknown, and Wright's birth year, 1832, would put him at having painted the portrait of Helen Webb (1957.52.2) at the age of 16 if she was painted before her death in 1848. The lack of information about why Warren attributed these two paintings to Wright, along with the potential age of the artist, bring the attribution into question.Status
Not on view
1910
Gideon Welles
about 1840
1856-1869
