Landscaping People

In the eighteenth century, the Wendell family of Albany owned land just south town, in an area now set aside as Lincoln Park. A deep ravine with a swift-flowing stream named the Beaver Kill divided their landholdings, making it an ideal site for milling operations. This portrait of Abraham Wendell depicts a rare view with one of the family mills in the background.

In a will dated July 29, 1749, Abraham’s father, Evert Wendell, left the mills, the dwelling house, and all the land on both sides of the stream to Abraham. Evert also left specific instructions in his will that his sons Abraham and Philip “shall build a Chocolate mill for the use of my son Philip.” The mill represented in the portrait may have been retrofitted with chocolate milling apparatus, or a separate chocolate mill may have been built nearby. We cannot be certain whether the chocolate mill was ever built at all, but if Abraham was as “trusty, faithful, beloved, honest” as Evert’s will states, he probably would not have wanted to disobey his father’s last wishes.

The landscape in this portrait reveals much information about the young Abraham Wendell, his family’s business activities, and the design and construction of Dutch buildings in the Albany area. For Wendell, himself, the decision to have the family property included in his portrait reveals the pride he must have felt in his family’s accomplishments.

The handsome couple in this painting form a stark contrast to the rugged landscape in which they pose. There is tension present in this work between their affectionate deportment and elegant attire, and the overcast gloom of the valley beyond—a tension between fascination and fear. Johan Zoffany’s portrait reflects the emotional conflict common to European romanticism.

The German-born Zoffany led a peripatetic life that took him from Regensburg to Rome, London, Florence, Parma, and the Indian sub-continent. Throughout his long and varied career, he painted allegorical works, portraits, theatrical pictures, conversation pieces, and genre scenes. He painted King George III of England and his wife Charlotte, the Grand Duke of Tuscany Pietro Leopoldo, the acclaimed English actor David Garrick, and the ruler of Oudh, India, Asaf-ud-daula. To say he was a society painter captures only part of Zoffany’s celebrity. His paintings captivate viewers with their attention to detail, lively animation, and rich colors. The English connoisseur and antiquarian Horace Walpole declared Zoffany one of the three great English painters of his time (the other two being Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough); yet until recently, much of his life remained a mystery.

The couple in the portrait have long been identified as Samuel Blunt (1723–1800) and his second wife Winifrid Scawen (b. 1742), but evidence does not support the claim. The couple’s clothing suggests a date in the late 1770s or early 1780s, which would place Blunt in his mid-50s. The uniformed man in the painting, however, appears to be much younger in age. There also exists another painting by Zoffany of a man identified as Samuel Blunt, but the individual in that portrait shows no resemblance to the man in this painting. Furthermore, Samuel Blunt was not in the military, although his oldest son Robert was an officer in the Royal Horse Guards. Even though Robert died in 1780 before marrying, the couple may represent Robert and some unidentified female.

At the end of the American Civil War, Major Charles Temple Dix of the 14th Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, posed for his portrait with the German-born artist George Gerhard. Dix was an artist himself, who began painting during the early 1850s before attending Union College in Schenectady, New York. He started exhibiting at the National Academy of Design in 1857, and in 1861 was elected an associate. The Civil War temporarily curtailed his activities, but he continued to pursue his interest in painting marine views after the conflict ended.

In this full-length portrait, Dix towers over the landscape. The thin thread of water in the distance most likely represents the Hudson River, and the rocky ledge on which he stands the eastern extension of the Helderberg escarpment south of Albany. By placing Dix in the Hudson River valley, the portrait associates him with the Hudson River School, from which he drew inspiration as an artist.

At the end of the American Civil War, Major Charles Temple Dix of the 14th Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, posed for his portrait with the German-born artist George Gerhard. Dix was an artist himself, who began painting during the early 1850s before attending Union College in Schenectady, New York. He started exhibiting at the National Academy of Design in 1857, and in 1861 was elected an associate. The Civil War temporarily curtailed his activities, but he continued to pursue his interest in painting marine views after the conflict ended.

In this full-length portrait, Dix towers over the landscape. The thin thread of water in the distance most likely represents the Hudson River, and the rocky ledge on which he stands the eastern extension of the Helderberg escarpment south of Albany. By placing Dix in the Hudson River valley, the portrait associates him with the Hudson River School, from which he drew inspiration as an artist.