John Jauncey Ketchum

Walter Robertson, John Jauncey Ketchum, ca. 1795, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Albert A. Best, Edison, N.J., 1986.64.1
Copied Walter Robertson, John Jauncey Ketchum, ca. 1795, watercolor on ivory, 3 382 38 in. (8.66.0 cm) oval, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Albert A. Best, Edison, N.J., 1986.64.1
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
John Jauncey Ketchum
Date
ca. 1795
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
3 382 38 in. (8.66.0 cm) oval
Credit Line
Gift of Albert A. Best, Edison, N.J.
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Keywords
  • Portrait male — Ketchum, John Jauncey
Object Number
1986.64.1

Artwork Description

John Jauncey Ketchum (1770-1841) was born on Bermuda, the sixth generation of his family to inhabit that island. In 1795 he married a distant relative, Susannah Jauncey (1772-1861), in New York, which may have been the occasion for which this miniature was painted. The back of this locket is adorned with the initials “JK” in gold filigree, and interwoven locks of hair, possibly those of the newlyweds. The couple returned to Bermuda, raising eight children, and after Ketchum’s death Susannah returned to New York.