Artwork
Nathaniel Olds
Nathaniel Olds is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Jeptha Wade. It dates from 1837 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Created in 1837, this oil portrait presents a seated gentleman framed by a muted interior.
About this work
Technique & Style
Handling is consistent with the period’s academic practice, featuring smooth, blended brushwork and careful modeling of light and shadow to articulate form.
The painting employs oil on canvas, a standard support for mid-nineteenth-century American works. Handling is consistent with the period’s academic practice, featuring smooth, blended brushwork and careful modeling of light and shadow to articulate form. Stylistically, the composition aligns with early American portraiture, emphasizing clear detail and restrained expression to convey subject presence. The overall condition is not documented in the cited sources.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1837 by Jeptha Wade, executed in oil on canvas. The work entered the Cleveland Museum of Art collection, where it is catalogued as 1991.134.2. According to the Wikidata record, the painting is associated with Cleveland as its place of creation, and it is held in the Cleveland Museum of Art. The dimensions are 76.5 cm in height by 61.2 cm in width.
Overview
Created in 1837, this oil portrait presents a seated gentleman framed by a muted interior. The figure, dressed in a dark coat and white shirt, occupies a red chair against a plain brown wall, with a modest column fragment visible on the left. The work exemplifies the straightforward, unembellished approach typical of early American folk portraiture.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, a middle‑aged man with wavy dark hair and spectacles featuring green lenses, is rendered with a calm, unsentimental bearing. His formal attire and glasses suggest a professional or scholarly role, while the simple setting underscores a focus on personal identity rather than narrative embellishment.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jeptha Homer Wade (August 11, 1811 – August 9, 1890) was an American industrialist, philanthropist, and one of the founding members of Western Union Telegraph.
