The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur
Museum, Winterthur, DE 19735
302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF
THE COLLECTION
Creator:
Title: John Wethered Bell sketches
Dates: ca.1870-1890
Call No.:
Acc. No.: 08x110
Quantity: 1 box
Location: 34 C 1
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
The identity of John Wethered Bell is a
mystery. Although art sources list James
Wethered Bell as a late 19th century American artist, this
collection includes two calling cards for John Wethered Bell in Conowingo, [
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
An album containing 39 pencil sketches of people and
landscapes, plus a few photographs. Most
of the items are not identified, but one sketch is of Havre de
ORGANIZATION
The sketches and photos have been removed from the
album, but the order in which they were found has been maintained.
LANGUAGE OF
MATERIALS
The materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Purchased from Ian Brabner.
ACCESS POINTS
Topics:
African Americans –
Pictorial works.
Children –
Pictorial works.
Docks.
Dogs – Pictorial works.
Employees.
Gardens – Pictorial works.
Harbors.
Landscape drawing, American.
Men – Pictorial works.
Women – Pictorial works.
Havre de Grace (
Albums.
Drawings.
Tintypes.
Artists.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 34 C
1
Note: all accession numbers begin with 08x110. All items are pencil sketches unless
otherwise indicated.
.1 album in which the sketches had been housed. The word Album is stamped in gilt on the
spine. Gilt decorations are on the front
and back covers. The album has two metal
clasps to keep it closed. The album was
intended to house photographs.
.2 a girl or young lady wearing a hat and
two profiles of men, one with a moustache, on back of calling card of John
Wethered Bell, Conowingo, Maryland
.3 woman wearing a hat, on back of calling
card of John Wethered Bell, Conowingo, Maryland
.4 dog laying on its back on a blanket on
a sofa
.5 inside a business establishment or
library; to the right, two men sit at a table; to the left, one man sits
reading a newspaper and two men stand behind him, looking at other what appear
to be other newspapers; framed prints hang on the walls
.6 dock scene: man working on dock, boat
at dock; city in background, with several church spires visible
.7 man with a mustache
.8 view of a harbor through a Gothic
window; sailboats and a steamboat are in the harbor, which is guarded by a
round fort; row houses are in foreground
.9 man trudging through a snow storm, with
trees around him
.10 cow wading in a stream, with dead tree in
foreground
.11 men working in a quarry or mine
.12 young woman carrying a small parasol
.13 girl or young woman sitting in a chair
with a book
.14 “Wild Goose”: African American man, in old
hat and torn shirt
.15 man in a top hat, with eyeglasses,
reading a newspaper
.16 three sketches of scenes in a garden: a
hedge, a corner of the garden, and a vine-covered trellis over a stairway
.17 “After a Long Day’s Ride in the Cars”:
boy sleeping under a chair
.18 “Who Is”: young girl looking out a window
.19 head of an Egyptian statue
.20 young woman holding a book
.21 “Belinda, Maria Edgeworth,” a young woman
with long hair, to illustrate the heroine of the novel Belinda by Maria Edgeworth
.22a road in the country, with a bridge
.22b “Ditching”: group of men digging
.23 “Havre de Grace”: a view of the town,
looking towards the mouth of the
.24 men building a split rail fence at the
edge of the woods, where a large tree has been felled; sketched is highlighted
with red pencil
.25 view over rooftops and chimneys, with a
Gothic church tower off to one side
.26 tent pitched in the woods
.27 cow walking by a stream, with a house on
the hill in the background
.28 lane leading to a house, surrounded by
trees
.29 three sketches of a garden: stairs, path
through the trees; path next to some trees
.30 view over a river, with trees in
foreground
.31 view of garden sloping down to a canal or
stream, with a fence around some trees
.32a road leading to a house, with trees all
around
.32b rock wall, bare trees, woods
.33 “A Little Beauty”: man or boy wearing a
cap and carrying a cane or stick
.34 “A Country Position for Conversation,
Like Two Roosters Fighting”: two squatting men having a talk, one with a stick
.35 young woman wearing a hat with a feather
.36 woman wearing a hat with a feather, also
wearing drop earrings
.37a “
.37b “
.38 tintype of a woman wearing a cap and a
lacy collar with a brooch
.39 very worn tintype of a man with a straw
boater, and a woman and child behind him
.40 carte-de-visite photo of a town on a
river; there are several boats on the river, warehouses on the bank, and a
church tower further up the hill; back of card not marked
.41 carte-de-visite photo of a woman; marked
on back: Fassett, Artist, Chicago
.42 carte-de-visite photo of a man, back of
card not marked