Artwork
Mrs. Asa Benjamin
Mrs. Asa Benjamin is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist William Jennys. It dates from 1795 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:on original stretcher: Hannah Plant Born Oct. 25th 1770. Portrait taken May 1 1795, 25 years of age
About this work
Technique & Style
Asa Benjamin, and remains in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.
Executed in 1795, this portrait is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 76.2 cm in height and 63.5 cm in width. Classified as a painting, it depicts the sitter, Mrs. Asa Benjamin, and remains in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The provided records confirm the medium and support but do not offer specific details regarding the artist's handling, the current condition of the surface, or distinct formal stylistic attributes beyond its classification.
History & Provenance
The work was commissioned as a portrait of the wife of Asa Benjamin, a Connecticut merchant, and painted in 1795. It remained in the Benjamin family before passing to their daughter Hannah Maria Benjamin Russell and later to her granddaughter Frances B. Russell, who owned it by 1941. The painting was exhibited in Stratford in 1889 and subsequently sold in 1952 to Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, likely via agent Frederick Fuessenich, before being gifted to the National Gallery of Art in 1953. The work measures 76.2 cm in height and 63.5 cm in width.
The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., where it is accessioned as 1953.5.18. It entered the collection in 1953 as a gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. Before its acquisition by the Garbisches, the work descended in the sitter's family from Asa Benjamin to his daughter Hannah Maria Benjamin Russell and then to her granddaughter Frances B. Russell by 1941.
An 1889 exhibition in Stratford, Connecticut, lent by Hannah M.B. Russell, confirms the painting remained with the family.
Context
The painting Mrs. Asa Benjamin by William Jennys entered the National Gallery of Art through a series of familial descents and sales in the mid-20th century. It remained in the Benjamin-Russell family until sold in 1952 to Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, then gifted to the NGA in 1953. Scholarship on the work documents its provenance, including its appearance in an 1889 Stratford exhibition recorded by Robyn Asleson and its presence in Stratford, Connecticut, noted in Frederic F. Sherman's 1941 account.
The artwork is cataloged in the National Gallery of Art's collection and reflects the output of William Jennys, an early American portraitist active in New England.
Overview
William Jennys’ oil on canvas portrait, dated 1795, depicts a seated woman identified as Mrs. Asa Benjamin. The composition is restrained, set against a muted brown backdrop that emphasizes the sitter’s attire and modest expression.
Subject & Meaning
The figure is presented in a white dress trimmed with a pink sash, a pearl necklace, and dark, neatly curled hair. The subdued pose and gentle gaze convey a sense of domestic refinement typical of late‑eighteenth‑century portraiture.
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Artist & collection
Artist
William Jennys (1774–1859), also known as J. William Jennys, was an American primitive portrait painter who was active from about 1790 to 1810. He traveled throughout New England seeking commissions in rural areas and…
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