The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry Francis du Pont
5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur,
Delaware 19735
Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF
THE COLLECTION
Creator: Andrews, Carol Damon
Title: Research papers on John Ritto Penniman
Dates: circa 1970-1990
Call No.: Col. 930
Acc. No.: 14x39; 15x53; 2020x16
Quantity: 11 boxes
Location: 11 H-J 1
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
John Ritto Penniman was born in Milford, Massachusetts
in 1782 or 1783. He was an ornamental
painter, portraitist, illustrator, and lithographer. He was a dial painter for the noted
clockmaker Simon Willard; painted furniture for Thomas Seymour; and created the
seal for the City of Boston. Penniman
was active in Boston, Massachusetts from ca. 1803 to 1827, but died in
Baltimore, Maryland, on October 15, 1841.
John Ritto Penniman was the son of Dr. Elias
Penniman (1748-1830) and Anna Jenks Penniman (1754-1830). He had ten brothers and sisters; his brother
William (1778-1833) was also an artist, and several brothers were booksellers. John apprenticed to an unknown painter in
Roxbury. After finishing his
apprenticeship, he moved to Boston and did painting for furniture makers
(including John Doggett and Thomas Seymour), carriage makers, and
architects. He also advertised that he was
available to paint military standards, Masonic items, landscapes (especially
gentlemen’s country seats), ornamental signs, and provide decorations for
diplomas, title pages, trade cards, and a variety of other printed materials.
Penniman married Susanna (or Susan) Barlett in
1805. She was the daughter of Susan
Swift and William Bartlett of Boston, born in 1781. The Pennimans had four children, including son
John (died 1850) who was a lithographer in Baltimore and New York. Penniman was a member of the St. John’s Lodge
of Freemasons and the Massachusetts Mechanic Association. Sadly, Penniman had a drinking problem and apparently
was not able to work during the last years of his life. He moved to Baltimore at some point, where
his son John and a brother-in-law George Bartlett lived, and there Penniman
died in 1841.
Carol Damon Andrews is an independent scholar who
has focused on American artists; she has written for The Magazine Antiques and other publications. She has also been a guest curator and
lecturer at the Worcester Art Museum.
She is a descendant of John Ritto Penniman’s sister. Carol Andrews received a degree in history of
art from Vassar College.
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
The papers were accumulated by Carol Damon Andrews
while she researched the career of the artist John Ritto Penniman. Topics include Penniman family genealogy;
notes on Penniman’s career, including decorative painting, portraits, and designs
executed by him; a little information on Penniman’s son John; and
correspondence generated during Mrs. Andrews’ research, which resulted in an
article about Penniman printed in The
Magazine Antiques and a show of his works at the Worcester Art Museum, which
she curated. As well, there are several
boxes of note cards, one section of which follows Penniman’s career year by
year. Other cards relate to Penniman’s
associates. Copies of maps of Roxbury,
Massachusetts, were used in a study of Penniman’s painting of “Meeting House
Hill, Roxbury.” A steel engraving of a
portrait of George Bartlett and a photo album about the Penniman show at the
Worcester Art Museum are also found.
LANGUAGE OF
MATERIALS
The materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Both accessions: gift of Carol Damon Andrews.
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Penniman, John Ritto, 1782-1841.
Worcester Art Museum.
Topics:
Art, American - 18th century.
Art, American -
19th century.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 11 H-J 1
Box 1:
Folder 1: J.R.
Penniman works: American Medical Botany
Folder 2: J.R.
Penniman works: Boylston coat of arms
Folder 3: J.R.
Penniman works: clock faces
Folder 4: J.R. Penniman works: “Conflagration of
the Exchange Coffee House, Boston”
(14x39; 2020x16)
Folder 5: J.R.
Penniman works: “Duck Hunter and Dog” (from work by John Osborn)
Folder 6: J.R.
Penniman works: “Extraordinary Ox”
Folder 7: J.R.
Penniman works: furniture decoration and genre paintings
Folder 8: J.R.
Penniman works: lighthouse and redoubt designs (acc. 2020x16)
Folder 9: J.R. Penniman works: looking glasses
(14x39; but also includes looking glass painted for Doggett, acc. 2020x16)
Folder 10: J.R.
Penniman works: Masonic designs
Folder 11: J.R.
Penniman works: military standards
Folders 12-14: J.R.
Penniman works: Penniman coat of arms, article and research by Carol Damon
Andrews
Box 2:
Folder 1: J.R.
Penniman works: Peruvian drinking vessel and bowl
Folder 2: J.R.
Penniman works: portraits
Folder 3: J.R.
Penniman works: portrait: “A.E. Crehore” and “Unquity House”
Folder 4: J.R.
Penniman works: portraits: “A.R.” and A.J.R.” (Ruggles portraits)
Folder 5: J.R.
Penniman works: portrait: Stephen Badlam, Jr., or Ezra Ames
Folder 6: J.R.
Penniman works: portrait: Downes children
Folder 7: J.R.
Penniman works: portrait: “Family group”
Folder 8: J.R.
Penniman works: “Portrait of a Gentleman” (Aaron Willard?), at OSV
Folder 9: J.R.
Penniman works: portraits: “Susan Mixter Knox” and “Joseph Knox”
Folder 10: J.R.
Penniman works: portrait: William Mixter
Folder 11: J.R.
Penniman works: portraits of Henry and Elizabeth Nolen
Folder 12: J.R.
Penniman works: portrait: “M.F.S.” (Stedman, 1834)
Folder 13: J.R.
Penniman works: portrait: “N.F., ae 23 yrs”
Folder 14: J.R. Penniman works: trade cards
(article in Old-time New England, v.
26, no. 4, April 1936)
Folder 15: J.R.
Penniman works: photos of his work
(includes
acc. 15x53)
Folder 16: slides
(mostly work by J.R.P.)
Box 3:
Folder 1: J.R.
Penniman: articles
Folder 2: illustrations
for article in The Magazine Antiques
Folder 3: miscellaneous
information about John Ritto Penniman
Folder 4: Penniman
genealogy
Folder 5: Penniman
genealogy: John Penniman (1817-1850)
Folder 6: Penniman
genealogy: J.R.P. death notices, etc.
Folder 7: Penniman
genealogy: Samuel Penniman’s Bible
Folder 8: Penniman
genealogy: William Penniman
Folder 9: Penniman,
John (1817-1850): paintings
Folder 10: Willard
family: portraits: research by C.D.A.
Folder 11: Worcester
Art Museum: Early American Paintings online catalog
Folder 12: Worcester
Art Museum: John Ritto Penniman exhibit
Folder 13: Worcester
Art Museum: John Ritto Penniman exhibit: catalog introduction
Folder 14: Worcester
Art Museum: John Ritto Penniman exhibit: labels
Folder 15: Worcester
Art Museum: John Ritto Penniman exhibit: lectures
Box 4:
Folder 1: Ames,
Ezra
Folder 2: Andrews,
Carol Damon: resume; address book for JRP research
Folder 3: Bartlett
genealogy
Folder 4: Boston craftsmen, 1800, 1805, 1810,
1813, 1816 (from city directories), and a partial list of craftsmen admitted to
Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association, circa 1795-1835
Folders 5-6: Bullard,
Charles: research and correspondence
Folder 7: Glass,
Stacy J.: “The Holden Chairs at Israel Sack, Inc.”
Folder 8: Hubbard,
Charles (1801-1875)
Folder 9: Lithography
Folder 10: Miscellaneous
photos and negatives
Folder 11: Nolan,
Spencer: materials sent by David Albrecht to C.D. Andrews
Folder 12: J.R.
Penniman’s associates and students: Babcock family
Folder 13: J.R.
Penniman’s associates and students: Codman, Charles
Folder 14: J.R.
Penniman’s associates and students: Curtis, Samuel
Folder 15: J.R.
Penniman’s associates and students: decorative artists in Boston
Folder 16: prices
paid for Penniman works (acc. 2020x16)
Folder 17: provenance
of Penniman related works purchased in from Nathan Liverant
Folder 18: reproductions
and photocopies: miscellaneous
Box 5:
Folder 1: Ruggles
homestead (not by J.R.P.)
Folder 2: Seals:
designs for
Folder 3: Seymour,
Thomas
Folder 4: Swett,
Moses (1804-1838)
Folder 5: Correspondence:
A-B
Folder 6: Correspondence:
Albrecht, Kurt and David
Folders 7-11: Correspondence:
C-L
Box 6:
Folder 1: Correspondence:
M
Folder 2: Correspondence:
The Magazine Antiques
Folders 3-4: Correspondence:
N-R
Folder 5: Correspondence:
Penniman family members
Folder 6: Correspondence:
Ring, Betty
Folder 7: Correspondence:
S-Z
Folder 8: Correspondence:
Viault, George
Folder 9: Correspondence:
Winterthur Museum
Folder 10: Correspondence:
Worcester Art Museum
Box 7: (legal
size files)
Folder 1: “John
Ritto Penniman,” by C.D. Andrews, for The
Magazine Antiques
Folder 2: “Checklist
of Works by J.R. Penniman,” with addenda 1 and 2
Folder 3: J.R.
Penniman’s associates and students: Doggett, John
Folder 4: J.R.
Penniman works: “Meeting House Hill, Roxbury”
Folder 5: research
notes
Box 8: note
cards:
Chronology for J.R.P.,
1781-1833
Box 9: note
cards:
Chronology for J.R.P.,
1834-1841, and no date;
Other miscellaneous notes;
John Penniman (1817-1850);
Clock
dials;
Associates;[see box 10 for
other associates];
Genealogy;
Box 10: note
cards:
Genealogy;
Associates, including known
teachers, possible teachers and influences, associates known and possible,
engravers; [see also Box 10 for more associates]
Other
miscellaneous notes
Box 11:
oversize
The Magazine
Antiques,
May 1941, with article by Mabel M. Swan on J.R.P.
The Magazine Antiques, July 1981, with article by
Carol D. Andrews on J.R.P.
Copies
of maps of Roxbury, Mass., used by C.D.A. to identify places in J.R.P.’s view
of Meeting House Hill
Copy
of “Design of a National Monument to be erected at Washington’s Headquarters at
Newburgh, N.Y.,” designed by John Penniman (1817-1850)
Copy
of a view of “the College in Providence,” with note that J.R.P. passed part of
his boyhood here
Photo
album of the preview party and exhibit of J.R. Penniman’s art at the Worcester Art
Museum, 1982; C.D. Andrews was guest curator of the exhibit.
Portrait
of George Bartlett (1792-1874): steel engraving in a frame; brother-in-law of
J.R. Penniman