Captain Joseph Anthony

Walter Robertson, Captain Joseph Anthony, ca. 1794, watercolor on ivory, sight 2 ³⁄₄ x 2 ¹⁄₄ in. (7.0 x 5.7 cm) oval, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ruel P. Tolman, 1952.12.1

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Artwork Details

Title: Captain Joseph Anthony
Artist: Walter Robertson
Date: ca. 1794
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: sight 2 ³⁄₄ x 2 ¹⁄₄ in. (7.0 x 5.7 cm) oval
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ruel P. Tolman
Mediums: watercolor
Mediums Description: watercolor on ivory
Classifications: Painting
Miniature
Subjects: Occupation — military — captain
Portrait male — Anthony, Joseph — waist length
Object Number: 1952.12.1
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1952.12.1

Artwork Description

Captain Joseph Anthony (1738-1798) was a prosperous Philadelphia merchant. His son Joseph Jr. became a prominent silversmith, and his son Josiah, a fellow merchant. The miniature of Josiah Hewes Anthony is in this collection [see 1952.12.2]. On the back of Captain Anthony’s miniature is a second painting---a mourning scene, with two female figures holding two bluebirds and a red rose. They sit next to a large funerary urn under a massive tree, a temple behind them in the rolling landscape. The tree and grass are made with clippings of hair, and braided locks---perhaps from the captain himself---adorn the perimeter of the image. This second painting is clearly by a different artist, and was probably added to the miniature after the captain’s death.