Painting

Title:

Ignatius Webber Fellows

Object Name:

Painting

Date:

1840-1850

Dimensions:

H-1.3 W-4.75 D-0.25 inches

Description:

Portrait of Ignatius Fellows (1805-1887), attributed to Samuel P. Howes. The Fellows family lived in Lowell, MA, from 1833 to 1843, where Samuel Howes worked as an artist. Oil on canvas, framed. Sitter wears a black suit, white shirt with a black stock. Ignatius Fellows (1805-1887) was a jeweler by training and a farmer, also noted for his transactions in real estate and securities. He lived in Lowell, Massachusetts from 1833 to 1843 (where he probably had the family portraits painted). After he returned to Hopkinton in 1843 he served as treasurer of the Hopkinton Academy. He and his wife lived many years in Hopkinton Village in the house just left of the Long Memorial Building.

Provenance:

Samuel P.Howes (1806-1881) was born in Massachusetts and by 1829 was listed in various directories as a "painter" or "portrait painter". Howes visited Lowell, MA in 1835 and planned to stay for only a few days, but ended up staying in Lowell for the rest of his life. Howes moved to Lowell at a time when demand for painted portraits was beginning to decline after the invention of the daguerreotype; however, there was still demand for portraits in this fast growing industrial area. For the artist, Lowell offered a fast growing, prospective clientele without the portrait competition of a large city. The years from 1835 to 1845 were Howes most productive years as a portrait painter. Full sized portraits were offered for ten to thirty-five dollars, depending on size. After 1845, he began listing himself as a "daguerreotypist and portrait painter" in the city directories.

Subjects:

Portrait paintings, Portraits, Oil paintings

People:

Fellows, Ignatius, Howes, Samuel P.

Item Number:

1983.1101

Accession Number:

1983.1101

Type of Material:

Objects

Copyright Statement:

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

Credit Line:

Gift of the Heirs of W. F. Fellows

Participating Organization:

Hopkinton Historical Society