The Winterthur Library

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: Dickinson, Obadiah, 1812-1850.

Title: Remarks on painting

Dates: [ca. 1835-ca. 1846]

Call No.: Doc. 704

Acc. No.: 63x99

Quantity: 1 volume

Location: 31 F

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

Obadiah Dickinson was born in Haddam, Connecticut, in 1812. He worked in New York City from 1830 to 1840. By 1847 he was working in Hartford, Conn. Dickinson exhibited at the National Academy from 1839 to 1844.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

Consists of notes about various painters and painting techniques. The volume opens with a discussion of Gilbert Stuart's method of painting portraits and a complete description, with diagrams, of the palettes he used. Also included is a history of painting miniatures by Alexander Robertson, extracts from John Burnet's works, sonnets by Michelangelo, observations on painting draperies, observations for the Apollo Gallery in 1839, selections from professor Campfer on the "delineation of the possessions," proportions used for painting human figures, and notes on cleaning engravings, varnishing, and other finishing activities. Two pages contain the initials, "O.D." and "O. Dickinson." Other Dickinson names on pages suggest this volume was created by Obadiah Dickinson, rather than Oliver Dickinson, Jr., another Connecticut painter.

LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS

The materials are in English.

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.

PROVENANCE

Transfer from Belknap Library.

ACCESS POINTS

People:

Burnet, John, 1784-1868.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1475-1564.

Stuart, Gilbert, 1755-1828.

Robertson, Alexander, 1768-1841.

Topics:

Art - History.

Brushwork.

Painting - Technique.

Painting, American.

Textile painting.

Draperies

Palettes.

Artists' tools.

Artists' materials.

Notebooks.

Artists.

Painters.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Location: 31 F

Index to artists mentioned in Doc. 704 (acc. 63x99):

Apelles 68

Aristides 68

Burnet, [John] 17-47

Campfer 62

Claude 23, 24

Coates 57

Condivi 49

Correggio 20, 23, 28, 29, 32, 39, 66, 68

Cosway 14

Cuyp 22, 30, 40

Dickinson, Charles S. 56

Dickinson, Emma J. 56

Dickinson, Fenner B. 56

Dickinson, Henrietta 56

Dickinson. Lydia A. 56

Dickinson, O (Obadiah?) 57, 68

D, O. [Dickinson, Oliver?] 57, 68

Dickinson, Willie H. 61

Du Fresnoy 35, 45

DuPus 49

Fuseli 50

Gainsborough 39

Georgione 26

Holbein 38, 46

Inman, Henry -next to last leaf

Jewett 67

Lawrence, Thomas 6

LePare 91

Lorraine, Claude 57

Margraff 89

Marques, M. 89

Mengs 32, 34, 39, 68

Michelangelo 29, 49, 50

Morse 66

Ostade 20

Raphael 20, 38, 40, 68

Rembrandt 20, 23, 25-29, 32, 39, 40, 42

Reynolds, [Joshua] 6, 23, 26, 29, 32, 37, 39, 40, 45, 46, 68

Robertson 91

Rubens 14, 28, 38, 41-44, 46, 66

Ruysdael 38

Shaver(?), V. P. 55

Shaw 90

Stuart, [Gilbert] 1-6, 58-61

Teniers 30, 38

Tintoretto 26

Titian 14, 26, 32, 38, 40-42, 45, 66, 68

Van Dyke 26, 42, 45, 46

Vanhaken 53

Veronese, Paul 38, 42, 44p 66

Waldo 67

Wilson, Richard 39