Artwork
Stephen Danforth Hassam
Stephen Danforth Hassam is a watercolor painting by the American Folk Art artist John S. Porter. It dates from 1822 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. John S.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The medium of watercolor on ivory was a standard choice for intimate portraits of this era, emphasizing the delicate and precise nature of the depiction.
The work depicts a portrait of a man, identified as Stephen Danforth Hassam, rendered in the miniature genre. As a formal portrait, the primary subject is the individual himself, presented as a white male figure. The iconography is straightforward, focusing on the realistic representation of the sitter's likeness rather than allegorical or narrative symbolism.
Created in 1820, the piece functions as a personal record of the subject's appearance during the early nineteenth century. The medium of watercolor on ivory was a standard choice for intimate portraits of this era, emphasizing the delicate and precise nature of the depiction. The image serves as a direct visual representation of the man, without additional symbolic elements or complex meanings beyond the documentation of his identity and presence.
Technique & Style
The artwork Stephen Danforth Hassam, executed in 1820 by John S. Porter, is a miniature portrait defined by its specific material composition. The piece utilizes watercolor paint applied directly onto an ivory support, a traditional medium for early 19th-century miniatures. Physically, the work measures 7.7 cm in height and 5.7 cm in width, reflecting the intimate scale characteristic of the genre.
Stylistically, the portrait depicts a white male subject, adhering to the conventions of portraiture from the American Wing collection. The handling of the watercolor on the delicate ivory surface demonstrates the technical precision required for this classification, focusing on the likeness of the sitter within a compact format.
History & Provenance
The miniature portrait Stephen Danforth Hassam was created in 1820 by artist John S. Porter, as established by both internal records and Wikidata documentation. Executed in watercolor on ivory, the work was likely commissioned as a personal portrait, though specific details of the commission remain unrecorded. The painting has been part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection since its acquisition, with no documented intermediate ownership changes. Its creation date is firmly attributed to 1820, aligning with the artist’s active period in miniature portraiture.
Stephen Danforth Hassam, a watercolor-on-ivory portrait miniature by John S. Porter dated 1820, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is classified within The American Wing. According to Wikidata records, the work is inventoried at the museum with dimensions of 7.7 cm in height and 5.7 cm in width. The provided sources confirm its location and institutional custody but do not document a specific accession number or any exhibition history for the portrait.
Context
The 1820 watercolor portrait attributed to John S. Porter, titled Stephen Danforth Hassam, is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American Wing and is categorized as a miniature portrait;. Its classification as a portrait and inclusion among American Wing works signal scholarly recognition of the piece as an exemplar of early American portraiture and watercolor technique. The work’s material composition, watercolor on ivory, and its modest dimensions (7.7 × 5.7 cm) underscore its function as a compact, intimate representation typical of the period.
Documentation of its provenance within the Met’s collection has prompted analysis of its stylistic attributes within the broader context of 19th‑century American art.
Overview
John S. Porter created this watercolor portrait, titled Stephen Danforth Hassam, around 1822. The miniature depicts a man in a dark coat, his face softly illuminated as he gazes directly forward. This small-scale work, painted on a slice of ivory, is part of the American collection, reflecting portraiture practices of the early 19th century.
Artist & collection
Artist
John S. Porter painted small watercolors on ivory, precise and full of quiet detail. He made portraits of little-known sitters like Stephen Danforth Hassam, rendered in soft washes of color that feel warmer than their…
