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Caroline Frances Phillips,/842. Coventry, RI. Watercolor and pencil on paper. 53 / 4 X 55i inches. Private collection. Photo: Courtesy ofthe Art Institute of Chicago.
Thankful Barber, circa 1844. Voluntown or Stonington, Ct. Watercolor and pencil on paper. 10 X 84 inches. The Barbers were one ofmanyfamilies painted by J. A. Davis who moved frequently between Rhode Island and Connecticut during this time. Collection of Old Sturbridge Village. Photo:courtesy ofTheArtInstitute of Chicago.
NOTES 1. The three unsigned portraits were first attributed to Alexander Emmons by Frederick Fairchild Sherman. Later, they were thought to be the work ofJoseph H.Davis, and then for many years, that of Eben Davis. In 1973, Gail and Norbert Savage found the name J. A.Davis on four paintings: two portraits ofStephen Tingley,one ofSamuel M.Demeritt, and a double portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Withington. In the "Three New England Watercolor Painters" exhibition catalog, the Savages alluded to a Joshua Davis, listed as a portrait painter in the Providence City Directory of 1852-53, and to a Joshua A. Davis in the 1854-55 and 1856 directories. They pointed out that nothing more was known than the directory listings. Our research led to a Joshua A. Davis listed in the 1850 Rhode Island census as a 53—year—old teacher of penmanship, living with his family in East Greenwich. He does not appear in the 1840 census and since a Joshua Davis is listed in Providence only for the years 18521856, it is possible that he was an itinerant who spent but six years in Rhode Island. In any event, since his name only appeared just shortly before and two years after the date of the last known J. A. Davis portrait, there is no reason to believe that Joshua A. Davis was the artist who did the numerous watercolors between 1838 and 1854. 2. The largest group of J. A. Davis' work was owned by Colonel Edgar and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch until recently dispersed at auction. 3. That the opportunity to paint was present is indicated by the catalog of the Warren Ladies' Seminary for the year ending December 1838, which, under tuition fees, includes drawing and painting at an extra charge of three dollars. This is the only catalog in which Jane Anthony's name appears. 4. According to Vital Statistics at the Warren town hall, Margaret Sharkey was born in Ireland, the daughter ofJames and Catherine Sharkey and died in Warren, at the age of80, on November 26, 1901. This agrees with information obtained from a great-granddaughter of the subject. In 1838, when Jane was at The Warren Ladies Seminary, Margaret Sharkey would have been 17 years old.
George R. Bishop, circa 1844. Ashford, Ct. Watercolor and pencil on paper. 8 X 64 inches. Inscribed on thefront is "George R Bishop June 1st 1818", a date undoubtedly referring to his birthday. Private collection. Photo: Stanley Summer.
Eunice A. Boss, circa 1845. Providence, Watercolorandpencilon paper. 44 X 344 inches. The Davises and Bosses were neighbors on High St, Providence, the year the painting was done. Private collection.
5. On the back is the inscription "Samuel M. Demeritt Aet 27 yrs. 2 mo 17 d. By J.A. Davis/July 23&24 1838." According to New Hampshire Vital Statistics, Samuel, a teacher, was born in Barrington on May 7, 1811 and died in Dover at the age of 79. If Jane painted the portrait July 23/24, 1838, it was not done in New Hampshire but rather in Warren since she was in school from May 9 to August 21, 1838. Interesting note: Allison Wrifford of New Hampshire was a well known teacher and author of books on penmanship. One of his assistants was Samuel Randall of Warren who could have been responsible for Demeritt's coming to this Rhode Island town. 6. Jacob's brother and family lived in Attleborough, Massachusetts, a town bordering Cumberland and Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Here Lydia Claflin Withington, the wife of Jacob's nephew, died October 1840. The Withingtons could possibly have been visiting their dying niece and other Rhode Island relatives in September 1840. Jacob Withington was a shoemaker, as were Eben Davis, Elijah G. Chase—shown at his trade in a J. A.Davis portrait, George R. Bishop and Benjamin Davis, Jane's brother-inlaw. FOR FURTHER READING Bank, M.; Anonymous Was a Woman; St. Martin's Press, NY 1979.
James Arnold, 1848. Woodstock, Ct Watercolor and pencil on paper. M X 6 inches. One ofjive portraits ofthe Arnold family done by J. A. Davis and a distant relative and neighbor of Jane Anthony Davis. Private collection.
Almariah Arnold, 1848. Woodstock Ct. Watercolor and pencil on paper. This is one off A. Davis' last portraits. Private collection.
DePauw,L. C.and Hunt, C.;Remember the Ladies: Women in America, 1750-1815; The Viking Press, NY 1976. Dewhurst, C. K., MacDowell, B. and MacDowell, M.; Artists in Aprons: Folk Art By American Women; E. P. Dutton, NY 1979. 47