The Winterthur Library

 The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

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