Portraits: New York, 1829-1832

b. 8 Oct 1808, Malta, NY - d. 28 Jul 1892, Saratoga Springs, NY and most likely buried in Greenridge Cemetery, Saratoga Springs, NY. This portrait miniature is painted on ivory and only 2 1/3" x 1 1/4" in size. A New York State collector purchased the portrait in December 2009 and it was to be resold at auction in May 2010. However, no record of this sale has been found. Given the painting's similarity to a photograph taken of Nelson Cook at age 45 in 1853/1854, there is no doubt this miniature depicts the artist as a young man. 

Although it is known that Cook and/or his wife, Esther, painted portrait miniatures in their early years [see Letters from Canada: 1836-1837], none has ever surfaced - until now perhaps. Unfortunately, the miniature is unsigned, making it difficult to know for sure who painted it. But three possibilities exist: Nelson, Esther, or a third-party artist. As evidenced by the expressive modeling of the face and the lifelike texture and wave of the hair, the style and quality appear much more animated than the primitive and stiff images Nelson was painting early in his career [see Lemuel Dickinson]. These factors might rule out Nelson as the artist, especially when the miniature is compared to another less whimsical painting thought to be a Cook self-portrait done 2 to 3 years later in 1832. But if the 1829/1830 miniature could be verified as having been done by Nelson himself, it would be the earliest known Cook portrait still in existence. A very significant find to say the least! And while several 19th century references have suggested Esther was a portraitist in her own right, no authenticated paintings by her hand are known to exist, which would leave one hard-pressed to attribute this portrait to her based on any known style. 

Lastly, perhaps a third-party artist did this portrait of Nelson. But as young, aspiring painters presumably with little money in 1829/1830, would the Cooks have had the means and desire for another artist to do Nelson's portrait -- one that could not be used as a promotional vehicle for their fledgling portraiture business? Or might well-off brother Ransom have commissioned the miniature as an inspirational gift for Nelson, who was just embarking on his portrait career? We may never know who painted this wonderful miniature. 

There are two separate inscriptions on the back, which appear to have been done by two different people, presumably at two different times. If accurate, the top inscription helps date the portrait, while the bottom inscription refers to Esther Marion Ellenwood Eastman, Nelson Cook's only granddaughter. The miniature is damaged on the left-hand side, but otherwise appears to be in good condition given its age.

And now for the rest of the miniature’s story. In March 2024 a woman contacted the Cook website to say she was the current owner of the Cook miniature, and wanted to sell it. According to her best recollection, an antique dealer in the Germantown / Clermont area of New York state acquired the portrait from a local estate sale. As an antique dealer herself, she purchased the miniature from the owner circa 2006. At some point the portrait was misplaced among her belongings, but eventually it resurfaced during the pandemic lockdown — circa 2020/2021. While preparing for a cross-country move in early 2024, the miniature owner decided to sell the portrait, and reached out to the Cook website to see if we were interested in purchasing it. Given the uncertainty of who painted the miniature, and its condition issue, a price of $200 was agreed upon, and the portrait is now in the possession of one of the Cook site’s caretakers. Although unlikely, if Cook could one day be authenticated as the painter of the 1829/1830 miniature, and/or if a reputable, cost-effective conservationist could be located to repair the creased ivory on which the portrait is painted, the miniature’s value in all likelihood would be higher than its 2024 purchase price. In addition to being the only known Cook portrait miniature painted by the artist, it also would represent the earliest known Cook painting in existence.

Family records say that Cook's age when he completed this self-portrait, 24, is written on the back of the photo of the painting, taken when the portrait hung on the wall of a descendant [note what is apparently a portrait lamp (or possibly a desk lamp) intruding on the portrait image]. If true, the work was finished just before Cook went to Canada in 1832. Cook apparently did display a self-portrait in Kingston, and he entered a self-portrait in Toronto's Society of Artists and Amateurs exhibition in the Canadian Parliament buildings in July, 1834 [Were they the same painting? Could this self-portrait be the one?]. The Toronto entry, along with another entry of his [John P. Kemble as Hamlet], was said by one writer in the Toronto Courier, to be "equal to the best in the exhibition… rich and splendid paintings," by another to be "spirited and expressive" if poorly drawn; not everyone was as charitable. See also Self-Portrait? 1856 and As a Portraitist.