Painting

Title:

Hannah Colby Thompson

Object Name:

Painting

Creator:

Shute, Samuel Addison
Shute, Ruth Wittier

Date:

circa1830

Material:

Wood
Paint

Dimensions:

H-1.3 W-4.75 D-0.25 inches

Description:

Portrait of Hannah Colby Thompson (1791-1876), by Samuel and Ruth Shute. Oil on Panel. 3/4 Length. Wearing black dress with white lace collar, combs in hair, gold necklace with pin, two tier hanging ear rings. Solid gray background. (Painting has been cleaned.)
As a young woman, Hannah Colby, eldest daughter of Hannah and Nathanial Colby known as the "belle of society". In 1815 she married Benjamin Thompson, an Andover, NH native born about 1790. Thompson represented himself as a man of means, when in fact he was a professional gambler. After nearly 20 years of marriage Hannah chose to leave Thompson and return to Hopkinton where she remained until her death in 1876.

Provenance:

Samuel A. Shute (1804-1836) and Ruth Whittier (1803-1882) were married in 1827 and moved to Weare, New Hampshire shortly thereafter. As no paintings have been discovered dated prior to 1827, it is assumed the Shute's began their careers as itinerant artists following their marriage. Their work can be divided into two periods. little is known about the first period, 1827-1831 except that the two artists generally worked separately and the paintings are very primitive. The second period, 1831-1833, is marked by the collaboration of the two where Ruth did the drawing and Samuel did the painting. Samuel died in 1836 and is buried in Concord, NH. Ruth remarried and continued painting until her death in 1882.

Subjects:

Portraits, Portrait paintings, Oil paintings

People:

Thompson, Hannah Colby, Shute, Ruth Wittier, Shute, Samuel A.

Item Number:

1983.1799

Accession Number:

1983.1799

Type of Material:

Objects

Copyright Statement:

For information regarding copyright, permissions, and reproductions contact the Hopkinton Historical Society

Participating Organization:

Hopkinton Historical Society