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Unidentified, Joseph Fox, 1790s, watercolor on ivory, image (oval): 2 1⁄2 x 2 in. (6.4 x 5.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.68
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Joseph Fox
- Artist
- Unidentified
- Date
- 1790s
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- image (oval): 2 1⁄2 x 2 in. (6.4 x 5.1 cm)
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- watercolor on ivory
- Keywords
- Portrait male — Fox, Joseph — bust
- Object Number
- 1999.27.68
Artwork Description
Joseph Fox was a prominent citizen of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, where he served as town clerk, taxman, and highway surveyor. In 1769 he married Mary Tuttle, and together they had six children. In his later years he acted as town treasurer, made unsuccessful bids for the state senate, and became a justice of the peace. The portrait shows a middle-aged man with the powdered hair that befitted a political figure of the early 1800s. The artist chose to show Fox with a thoughtful, alert expression, as if he had just been posed a difficult question.