Artwork
Julianna Hazlehurst
Julianna Hazlehurst is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Jacob Eichholtz. It dates from 1820 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:falsely signed, lower right at base of column in monogram: TS
About this work
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas. It measures 75.3 cm in height by 62.9 cm in width and was completed in 1820. Jacob Eichholtz employed oil paint to achieve a realistic surface with fine brushwork that models the sitter’s features and attire, producing a formal composition marked by balanced placement and restrained coloration.
History & Provenance
Clarke of New York, who acquired it in 1925, though its earlier provenance remains uncertain with unverified claims linking it to Mary B.
Julianna Hazlehurst is an oil on canvas portrait painted by Jacob Eichholtz in 1820. Its early ownership is uncertain, though a circa 1954 curatorial note suggests it may have belonged to Mary B. Hazlehurst Mason of Westtown, Pennsylvania, described as a niece of the sitter. Correspondence from Mason to Charles X. Harris, acting on behalf of collector Thomas B. Clarke, dated April 9 and 27, 1925, addresses family genealogy rather than the terms of any sale.
Clarke acquired the painting on February 24, 1925, and it later passed to his estate. It was sold on January 29, 1936, through M. Knoedler & Co. of New York as part of the Clarke collection to The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust in Pittsburgh. The work entered the National Gallery of Art in 1947 as a gift of the Trust.
The painting is held in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as part of the Andrew W. Mellon collection. It was acquired by the gallery in 1947 as a gift from the A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, which had purchased the work in 1936 from M. Knoedler & Co. on behalf of the trust. Prior to that, the painting was owned by Thomas B. Clarke of New York, who acquired it in 1925, though its earlier provenance remains uncertain with unverified claims linking it to Mary B. Hazlehurst Mason.
The work has no recorded exhibition history in the provided sources.
Overview
Jacob Eichholtz’s oil on canvas, titled Julianna Hazlehurst, dates to around 1820. The portrait presents a seated woman in a white dress, accented by a red shawl with multicolored motifs. Her dark, curly hair frames her face, and she rests an arm on a low railing. Behind her, a softly rendered sky merges with a distant, indistinct landscape.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, identified as Julianna Hazlehurst, is depicted in contemporary attire that reflects early‑nineteenth‑century fashion. The combination of a modest white gown and a vivid shawl suggests both propriety and personal taste, while the relaxed pose conveys a sense of calm confidence. The surrounding sky and landscape provide a tranquil backdrop that emphasizes the figure’s presence.
Context
The painting belongs to the broader Romantic movement, which emphasized emotion, nature, and individual experience. In the United States, portraiture of this period often combined European stylistic influences with local subjects, reflecting a growing cultural confidence. Eichholtz’s work exemplifies this blend, situating a personal likeness within a gently idealized natural setting.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
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