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Lot Essay
Robert Dean was born October 25, 1775, in Taunton, Massachusetts. He appears in the New York City Directory as a boot crimper in 1812, 1815, 1816, 1818, 1820 and 1821. He married Sarah Susan Leavitt Padelford around 1803. The label of Ambrose Crane, who probably framed the portraits lists his address at 135 Broadway. Crane is recorded at the address in 1818 only, providing an approximate date of the execution of the portraits.
William Massey Strode Doyle (1769-1828) painted pastels, silhouettes and miniatures. In 1818, he was working at the Columbian Museum on Tremont Street in Boston. Characteristic elements include bust-length composition with the sitter pictured at 3/4-angle, usually facing to the right. Other distinct characteristics of his work include the treatment of the lips, which are thin and tightly compressed, long faces, prominent ears and chin. Gentlemen are represented with bangs swept down over their forehead while women are coifed with ringlets or strands of hair over the forehead and upper cheeks; in his rendering of clothing and jewelry, he paid particular attention to detail.
William Massey Strode Doyle (1769-1828) painted pastels, silhouettes and miniatures. In 1818, he was working at the Columbian Museum on Tremont Street in Boston. Characteristic elements include bust-length composition with the sitter pictured at 3/4-angle, usually facing to the right. Other distinct characteristics of his work include the treatment of the lips, which are thin and tightly compressed, long faces, prominent ears and chin. Gentlemen are represented with bangs swept down over their forehead while women are coifed with ringlets or strands of hair over the forehead and upper cheeks; in his rendering of clothing and jewelry, he paid particular attention to detail.