Portraits: New York, 1845-1848

b. 1773 in Yorkshire, England - d. 6 May 1846 in Saratoga Springs, NY; buried in Gideon Putnam Cemetery, Saratoga Springs; emigrated to the US with parents just after the Revolutionary War; credited by many with opening NYC's first soda fountain in 1819; understood the commercial potential of mineral water and in 1823 purchased the highly-regarded Congress Spring in Saratoga Springs; partnered with Thomas Lynch in 1826 to start the first mass-produced and extremely successful bottled water business in Saratoga Springs with distribution eventually throughout the US and in Europe; the water was marketed as "Lynch and Clarke, New York" until Lynch's 1833 death, at which time the bottles were embossed "John Clarke, New York" until Clarke's own death in 1846; in 1829 married the widow of NY attorney Charles White, Eliza Bryar White (1792-1869), who bore three children with Clarke in addition to the four from her first marriage; recognizing Saratoga Springs's tourist potential, co-founded the Saratoga & Schenectady Railroad in 1832, which eventually contributed to the town's prosperity; purchased and improved significant amounts of land in Saratoga Springs, including the development of the town's waterworks system in 1832; member of Saratoga Springs city council in 1841. This painting was on display in 2011 at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution as part of an exhibit featuring prominent portraits of Washington, D.C. families.

  b. 11 Nov 1789 at Saratoga County, NY (?) - d. 7 Apr 1851 at Schuylerville, NY (Saratoga County); buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Schuylerville, NY; Signed verso "Susan English, born 11th Nov 1789, Painted by Nelson Cook, Saratoga Springs, 1845"; husband was David (1772-1853) and they had at least two sons, Richard English and Calvin D. English, who Cook painted in 1874. Susan’s portrait sold at auction via a floor sale on 3/9/08 in Fairfield, CT for $600 + a 20% buyer's commission. The auction house's pre-sale condition report said the following: "dirty, loose on stretcher, 3 holes, crazing, paint loss, wrinkles, but no earlier restoration."

b. 19 Mar 1764 at Exeter, Rhode Island - d. 26 Apr 1850 at Hoosick, NY (Rensselaer County); buried in Mapletown Cemetery, just east of Hoosick; son of Harper, Sr. and Mercy Rogers, who moved with Harper Jr. from Rhode Island to Washington County, NY sometime prior to the American Revolutionary War; took after his father and began farming in 1786 in Hoosick, where he lived the rest of his life; on 19 Jan 1786 married Susanna/Susan Barber (1764-1845) and produced 6 children; in 1789 served as one of several Hoosick poundkeepers, an important function for overseeing stray livestock until rightful owners could be located; successful, well-respected, and influential as a farmer, served in the NY State assembly as a Whig 1821-22. This 29" x 25" portrait is signed on reverse "Harper Rogers / Born 19th March 1764 / Painted by Nelson Cook / Saratoga Springs / 1845". This is a superbly crafted painting, which depicts a man of confidence and determination. While farmers, even successful ones, were a departure from the typical sort of sitter Nelson Cook was known to have painted, Cook still saw fit to place Mr. Rogers in one of the artist's trademark red seats. The portrait has been restored and wax lined on the reverse.

b. 4 Apr 1830, Saratoga Springs, NY - d. 13 Nov 1852, Saratoga Springs, NY; buried Greenridge Cemetery, Saratoga Springs; only child of Judge John Willard and Elizabeth Willard and wife of Henry Fowler (1824-1872), Presbyterian minister from Auburn, N Y. Sylvester's 1878 History of Saratoga County, New York described Sarah as "a young lady of rare beauty and culture"; signed by the artist on reverse, "Painted by Nelson Cook, Saratoga Springs, 1845"; a hand-written note on the painting's back also reads, "Susan Willard Fowler, daughter of Judge John Willard of Saratoga". Although Cook has not placed his young sitter in one of his patented red seats, the twin mountain peaks beyond her left shoulder appear in at least two other Cook portraits (see Unidentified Woman in Blue Gown and Portrait of a Girl. The 30" X 24" portrait was sold at auction by Millea Bros of Boonton, NJ for $527 (including a 24% buyer's premium) on May 23, 2014. The condition report stated the painting was "fair/poor, craquelure, scattered paint loss and flaking, especially to upper right." Soon after this sale the framed portrait was sold again by Scott Antique Market in Atlanta for $400. The new owner had both the painting and frame professionally restored and the portrait now proudly hangs in his Atlanta home. To the right is the painting before and after the restoration.

 b. 20 May 1792, Guilford, CT - d. 31 Aug 1862, Saratoga Springs, NY; graduated from Vermont's Middlebury College in 1813, and while matriculating lived with his aunt, Emma Hart Willard, who in 1814 founded what is today the Emma Willard School for girls in Troy, NY so that young women would have the same educational opportunities as her nephew, John; studied law and admitted to the New York State Bar in 1817; first practiced law in Washington County, NY, where for many years he was a common pleas judge and surrogate; in 1829 married Eliza Smith, who in 1830 bore one daughter, Sarah Elizabeth [Fowler]; became circuit judge and vice-chancellor of the Fourth Judicial district in 1836 when  Esek Cowen  was elevated to the NY Supreme Court; while serving in this capacity in 1842 heard a libel case James Fennimore Cooper brought against Horace Greely - Cooper was awarded $200 and six cents costs, well short of the $10,000 he was seeking; in 1846 he himself was appointed to the NY Supreme Court, where he served until his retirement in 1854 [including two years with Reuben Walworth], after which he wrote several well-respected legal treatises; in 1856 asked by President Franklin Pierce to examine the validity of California's Spanish and Mexican land grants; also in 1856 elected to the first Board of Directors of the Commercial Bank of Saratoga Springs; sat on the Board of Directors for the Saratoga and Whitehall Railroad in 1859/1860; elected to the NY state senate as an unopposed Democrat in 1861. The oval portrait of Judge Willard is signed on reverse in the artist's typical elaborate hand: "Painted by Nelson Cook. Saratoga Springs, N.Y." The painting displays especially skilled brushstrokes in the sitter's face and hair, which serve to convey a man of great distinction and strong character. And in classic form, the artist has seated Willard in one of Cook’s red chairs. Although the portrait is undated, the caretakers of this site have estimated it to have been painted in circa 1846 for three reasons: 1) it was only during the early-mid 1840s that Cook used an architectural column as a compositional element in his portraits, 2) this date is consistent with Willard’s appointment to the NY State Supreme Court, and 3) Willard looks to be in his mid-50s, which lines up with the 1846 estimate. In 1978 the portrait was relined and restored to repair a tear and to remove grime, ink spatters, and drip marks. The painting was donated to the SSHM by Milford Lester, a relative of Judge Willard.

  b. ca 1787, Stillwater, Saratoga County, NY - d. 28 Dec 1851, Troy, NY; buried Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, NY; direct descendant of Thomas Hooker, the founder of Connecticut; merchant (and mill owner?) in Whitehall, NY, after War of 1812; moved to Troy ca 1820, joined freight forwarders firm of Pattison & Hart as a business clerk; at various times (not necessarily in this order) operator of Troy Tow-Boat Line, Troy and Whitehall Towing Company, and Northern Transportation Line; by 1851, the year of his death, he had amassed a sizeable fortune and was widely known and respected throughout the Northeast water transportation industry, moving freight on the Erie, Oswego, and Champlain Canals, Lake Champlain, and the Hudson River, with the aid of some 50 agents based throughout New York state in Troy, New York, Rochester, Buffalo, Oswego and Whitehall. In addition to his reputation as gifted businessman, he also was known for being a bit of a passionate eccentric, and at times “violent in his speech and action,” but ultimately fair and just with his workers and associates. Interestingly, some of Hooker’s 20th century descendants referred to him as “the Fat Man” due to his portly girth, while other unacquainted, extended family members knew the unmarried transportation tycoon as “Uncle James.” Although the portrait is dark from lack of a good cleaning and suffers from craquelure, it is a fine example of Cook’s mid-century maturity as an artist, and captures Hooker’s confidence and strong sense of success, a success the February 11, 1850 Troy Daily Whig described and quantified with the following article about two years before Hooker’s death:

Col. James H. Hooker possesses a wide and exalted reputation as a business man. His business talent, capacity and energy have given him both fame and fortune. He is a self-made man…. He possesses another essential element of true business character — a clear, comprehensive mind. He keeps himself well posted in all details of his immense business. The whole is so systemized that everything is before his eye, presented with more than panoramic distinctness. He is thus able to oversee and regulate all departments, and to secure the harmonious working of the immense machinery of his extended and extensive business.  We present the following details of Col. Hooker’s business:

11 barges, aggregate tonnage 5,100, number of men employed 45 to 50.

50 canal boats running to Buffalo, capacity 3,500 tons with 250 men.

29 canal boats running to Rochester, capacity 2,030 tons with 145 men.

16 canal boats running to Oswego, capacity 1,280 tons with 80 men.

25 canal boats running to Whitehall, capacity 2,000 tons with 150 men.

The steam propeller "James H. Hooker” on Lake Champlain, capacity 300 tons. 

11 sail vessels on Lake Champlain, capacity 1,650 tons with 60 men.

6 steam boats and 5 propellers of the largest class with the Buffalo Canal Line.

About 800 horses for towing boats on the Erie canal with 90 men and 400 boys.

200 horses on Lake Champlain with 20 men and 100 boys.

 b. 8 Aug 1808 at Hillsdale (Columbia County), NY - d. 22 Feb 1855 in Hillsdale, NY; buried Mallery Family Burying Ground in Austerlitz; son of Uriah Mallery and Elizabeth Utter; married Sarah Ann Sawyer 13 Apr 1843; operated a grocery business with brother in Troy, NY from at some point in 1830s until returning to Austerlitz family homestead in 1851 following death of father; elected Town Supervisor in Austerlitz in 1854 and was instrumental in having the first school house built in town. This portrait and that of wife Sarah below are unsigned and undated, but a daguerreotype made from Anson's portrait carries the inscription "A. U. Mallery, taken from portrait, Troy NY, 1846". The caretakers of this site have attributed both portraits to Cook based on a strong similarity to the artist's characteristic technical elements, the artist's known presence in Troy in 1846 (see James Harvey Hooker), the sitter's red seat, and the distant landscape, which is reminiscent of many other Cook paintings. Although this attribution has been made, it should be noted that both portraits are painted on board rather than canvas, a technique for which there is no documented evidence that Cook ever used.

 b. 12 Oct 1823 in Austerlitz (Columbia County), NY - d. 18 Feb 1913 in Stockbridge (Madison County), NY; buried Stockbridge Cemetery, Stockbridge, NY; daughter of William Sawyer and Esther Ann Utter; 13 Apr 1843 married Anson Uriah Mallery with whom she had four children; following Anson's death in 1855 married Charles Wadsworth in 1858 and then in 1869 married Allen Jacobia of Kinderhook, NY after Charles' 1866 death. This portrait and that of husband Anson above are unsigned and undated, but a daguerreotype made from Anson's portrait carries the inscription "A. U. Mallery, taken from portrait, Troy NY, 1846." The caretakers of this site have attributed both portraits to Cook based on a strong similarity to the artist's characteristic technical elements, the artist's known presence in Troy in 1846 (see James Harvey Hooker), the sitter's red seat, and the distant landscape, which is reminiscent of many other Cook paintings. Although this attribution has been made, it should be noted that both portraits are painted on board rather than canvas, a technique for which there is no documented evidence that Cook ever used.

  An article in the 23 Sep 1846 Troy Daily Whig mentions that at the recent fair Nelson Cook had been awarded a “Diploma” by the Rensselaer County Agricultural Society for the “the best specimen of portrait painting” with his “finely-executed” portrait of one William Van Veghten. The most logical sitter of this painting is the gentleman profiled below:

b. 14 Jan 1802, Rensselaer County, NY (?) - d. 29 May 1872, Schaghticoke (Rensselaer County), NY; buried Schaghticoke Dutch Reformed Cemetery, Schaghticoke, NY; 8 Dec 1828 married Elizabeth Magdalena Van Alen (1807-1876), with whom he had one child, Deria Elizabeth Van Veghten Reynolds (1829-1888); Schaghticoke Justice of the Peace (1836 and 1840) and Schaghticoke Supervisor (1849-1850). 

  b. ? - d. ?; a short article in the March 19, 1846 Troy Daily Whig mentions that Nelson Cook has several, recently completed portrait likenesses of Troy citizens in his Troy studio at 1 Halcyon House, Cannon Place, and among them is this painting which the reporter describes as “admirable as a likeness and a picture.” “Passed Midshipman” was a rank indicating a naval officer had passed his exams and would soon be appointed to the rank of Ensign. The sitter’s specific identity cannot be determined, and the portrait may be forever lost. 

  b. ? - d. ?; a short piece in the May 15 1846 Troy Daily Whig says, “Mr. Cook, we understand, has his hands full of professional business, and is rapidly acquiring a high reputation by the fidelity of his portraits and lifelike coloring.” The reporter singles out one of these paintings: “His likeness of Miss Patterson, of Albany, recently painted, is much admired.” The article concludes by saying Cook has moved his Troy studio from Cannon Place to 55 Fourth Street. The definitive identity of “Miss Patterson” is unknown, and it is possible the portrait no longer exists. 

b. 11 Sep 1786/89?, Rowley, MA - d. 16 Dec 1858; son of the Rev Ebenezer Bradford and said to be related to William Bradford of Plymouth; graduated Dartmouth College 1811; studied theology with uncle, the Rev Moses D. Bradford of Francestown, NH; ordained Sheffield Congregational Church 13 Oct 1813, serving there as pastor for nearly 39 years; during his ministry the church added over 500 members through vigorous revivals, Bible classes, the addition of a Sunday School, and expansion of the church structure; in 1814 an epidemic raged through Sheffield and had taken 56 lives when, it is said, local people prayed through the day in Bradford's church and stemmed the plague. This portrait and that of Mrs. Bradford are large ones in excellent condition; they are housed in the Dan Raymond House of the Sheffield Historical Society, Sheffield, MA. Cook signed and dated this portrait on the reverse side, as was typical, but added the notation "pinxit," in Latin "he painted this," atypical for him.

b. 30 Apr 1786 - d. 25 Feb 1855; daughter of Daniel Flint of Reading, MA; m. James Bradford 15 Nov 1813; she bore seven children, four sons and three daughters; they built a home on Main Street in Sheffield, MA, known today as Staveleigh House and operated as a bed and breakfast. In Cook's portrait Mrs. Bradford is clothed in a dark, austere dress, creating a dark painting; however, her face framed in lace is remarkably detailed.

b. Scituate, RI, 24 Feb 1787 - d. Albany, NY, 11 Feb 1844; grew up on family farm in Washington County, NY; admitted to the bar 1810; formed various law partnerships (Wissell Gansevoort; William Warren; Judiah Ellsworth); moved to Saratoga Springs in 1812; justice of the peace and town supervisor; appointed Circuit Judge (4th Circuit), 1828, to succeed Reuben H. Walworth, who had been appointed Chancellor; Associate Justice of the NY Supreme Court, 1836-1844; compiled several important legal treatises, one of which, Cowen and Hill's Notes, Vol I, is beside him in the portrait, along with Phillipp's Evidence; founded early temperance society; m. Betsey Berry Rogers (1811); it is said the Governor, both houses of the legislature "and a vast concourse of citizens" attended Cowen's funeral; buried Greenridge Cemetery, Saratoga Springs. Portrait attributed to Cook (relined with photos taken of original name (sig?)/Saratoga Springs and date of 1847); this date is three years after Cowen's death, perhaps explained as an error or a painting from a daguerreotype, but most likely a posthumous copy of Cowen's 1844 portrait. The only image available is the black and white one shown below. The Frick Collection provides the following description: "Blue eyes, white hair. Black coat, blue-black waistcoat, black stock and tie, white collar and shirt. Pinkish red chair. Pinkish red curtain in background. Calf-bound books with gold tooling and scarlet title labels."

b. Kortwright, NY (Delaware County), 4 Dec 1797 - d. Washington DC, 10 Jul 1872; buried Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown section of Washington DC; son of [John] Joseph Skinner and Phebe Bull Skinner, who died when St. John was only a few months old; half-brother of Eugene Franklin Skinner, founder of Eugene, OR; by 1809 living with family in Essex, NY, just south of Plattsburgh; attended Plattsburgh Academy and was one of 20 teenage boys from the school who in September 1814 formed Aiken's Volunteers and successfully helped defend the city against the 10,000-strong British army during the decisive Battle of Plattsburgh, which the undermanned Americans won due in part to the leadership of Major General Benjamin Mooers, who commanded the NY State Militia (in 1826 Congress conferred a rifle on each boy - only six of the "boys" were on hand for the presentation, including Skinner - just as the Battle of Plattsburgh field commander Brigadier General Alexander Macomb had promised each of them 12 years before --- the only time in US history that Congress ever awarded rifles to civilians for battle-tested "gallantry and patriotic services"); 16 Sep 1821 first marriage to General Mooers daughter, Phebe Maria Mooers (1800-1827) with whom he had three daughters and 8 Dec 1831 second marriage to Julia Lowry (1806-1902) of Burlington, VT; re-established his military involvement in the early 1820s and by 1839 was a Major General and commander of the 11th Infantry Division in NY State Militia at Plattsburgh when he exchanged letters with then NY Governor William H. Seward regarding two separate attacks by Canadian raiding parties on properties at Alburgh and Rouse's Point, VT --- as a safety precaution Seward in turn forwarded both letters to President Van Buren; earned his law degree, admitted to the NY Bar in 1821, and had a prominent and successful Plattsburgh law practice; served as Clinton County Justice of the Peace (1828), Clinton County Surrogate Judge (1831-1840) and Clinton County Clerk (1842-1845); distinguished Free Mason and Master (1849-1853) at Clinton Lodge in Plattsburgh along with fellow-Mason and friend Reuben Hyde Walworth; in 1834 was one of nine founders and trustees of The Plattsburgh Manufacturing Company engaged in the manufacture of woolen and cotton goods and machinery; in 1844 sold Dannemora, NY land and mine holdings totaling 200 acres to New York State for future home of Clinton County Prison, which was designed and built by Nelson Cook's brother, Ransom Cook; following an 1853 fire which destroyed his extensive law library, Skinner appointed to Post Office Department in Washington DC where he remained until his 1872 death while serving under five Presidents (Pierce, Buchanan, Lincoln, Johnson, and Grant) as Chief Clerk and Assistant Postmaster General (1861-1872) including time as Acting Postmaster General under Lincoln in 1862 and as First Assistant Postmaster General under Grant 1869 - 1872; at time of death was President of the War of 1812 Veterans Association; according to Skinner's descendants, the General also participated in the Civil War; although not evident in the painting, at some point Skinner lost his right arm and according to family lore, the General would not allow the doctors to remove it until he had mastered use of his left arm and hand. The portrait is a classic Cook rendering, including the artist's customary red seat and the same distant mountainous background found in several other Cook paintings. In a hand other than Cook's, the reverse is inscribed "Painted by Nelson Cook, Saratoga Springs, 1847," which suggests it had some restorative work done at some point in the past and the restorer transferred the original inscription to the new backing.

b. Burlington, VT (Chittenden County), 20 Mar 1806 - d. Burlington, VT, 7 Dec 1902; buried Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown section of Washington DC; daughter of Heman Lowry (high sheriff of Chittenden County for 19 years and US Marshall for the district of Vermont for 11 years) and Margaret Campbell Lowry; 8 Dec 1831 became second wife of General St. John Bull Lawrence Skinner; no children. The portrait has all the hallmarks of Cook's artistry, including the sitter's red seat, the exquisite rendering of the lacework, and the distant view of mountains in the background. In a hand other than Cook's, the reverse is inscribed "Painted by Nelson Cook, Saratoga Springs, 1847," which suggests it had some restorative work done at some point in the past and the restorer transferred the original inscription to the new backing.

At one time identified as James K. Averill, the portrait is more likely that of his father, James Gill Averill, b. 28 May 1804, Flatbush, NY - d. 1881, Sand Lake, NY; buried in Sand Lake Union Cemetery; son of Revolutionary War surgeon Isaac and Hanna Miles Averill of Milford, CT; ca 1830 moved to Sand Lake, Rensselaer County, NY, and in 1827 married Clarissa Sliter (1809-1885); town merchant and tavern keeper; may be best known locally for leading Memorial Day parades on Moscow, a Civil War horse now buried at the foot of James's son, James Knox Averill (1846-1900), who was a lawyer, land developer, & railroad promoter (Troy & New England Railway), and along with his brother, Horatio, developed the town of Averill Park near Sand Lake. This 25.5" X 33.5" portrait was restored in the early 1990s at the University of Buffalo, NY. This is a classic Cook rendering with all the hallmarks of the artist's mid-19th century talents on display: an expressive and distinguished, well-modeled face, poorly-crafted, elongated fingers reminiscent of 16th century European Mannerism, the sitter placed in an upholstered red chair, and a distant landscape in the background. On July 25, 2020 the painting was sold at auction by J. James Auctioneers and Appraisers in Plymouth, MA for $450.

b. 14 Jan 1808 at Greenfield (Saratoga County), NY - d. 15 May 1873 in Saratoga Springs, NY; buried in Greenridge Cemetery, Saratoga Springs; son of a Quaker sea captain from New Bedford, MA; in 1836 married Aurelia Ann Putnam (1813-1894), granddaughter of Gideon Putnam, revered founder of Saratoga Springs and niece of Nancy Putnam; studied medicine in Finger Lakes town of Skaneateles, NY and then graduated from Fairfield Medical College in Fairfield, NY; taught for a time, then went to Saratoga Springs in 1832 and for the next six years practiced medicine with Dr. John H. Steel; continued in the pursuit of medicine while also serving as Postmaster of Saratoga County during President Martin Van Buren's administration; also wrote several books about the therapeutic value and curative powers of Saratoga Springs' water and produced a guide book for tourists to his fair city; very active in the National Medical Association of the United States and the NY State Medical Society, both of which he served as President for the Saratoga County chapters; in 1852 partnered with Dr. Myron N. Babcock as Allen and Babcock, which became a very large and successful practice; well known and respected in Saratoga Springs for his kindness and philanthropy. Although the portrait is in need of major restoration, this is a wonderful example of Cook's mid-career artistry, including his "patented" red chair. This is believed to be the only portrait Cook is known to have signed and dated on both the front and back, and in each case used the word "Pinxt," Latin for "painted it." The painting is 32" X 26".

 Painting acquired by state of New York in 2004 as part of the Bailey-Deyo Family Collection, consisting of among other things two Cook portraits presumably of Bailey family members – one of the portraits is shown here and the second portrait is of a child whose identity is unclear. [See Portrait of a Child.] The faded image at top right is prior to conservation, while the image at the bottom right shows the restored portrait with richer, but more somber colors. The painting's mostly dark hues, the sitter's melancholy stare, and her black, unadorned dress all suggest a woman in mourning.  This sad tone is further reinforced by the wilted flowers in the vase, a common 19th century artistic symbol of death. Although unidentified, the sitter may be Charity (“Cherry”) Gilliland Scott Bailey (1809-1903), wife of Greenfield, NY native Samuel Bailey (whose father, General Samuel Baily – without the “e” – served with Washington during the Revolutionary War) and mother of five children, including Ruby M. Bailey (2/9/1848 - 3/30/1848), whose untimely death at the age of 7 weeks coincides with the year of the painting's creation and which may help establish the sitter's identity as the baby's grieving mother. As a close family friend of the Cooks, Cherry and Samuel’s youngest child was daughter Marion Cook Bailey (1849-1921), who was named after Nelson and Esther’s daughter. The portrait is signed on the reverse, "Painted by N. Cook (from a Daguerreotype), Saratoga Springs, 1848,” and the unlocked daguerreotype case can be seen atop the sideboard to the right of the flower vase. And, of course, Cook made sure to place the sitter in one of his signature, yet somewhat subdued, red upholstered seats. For more on this painting see Preserving Nelson Cook's Legacy.)