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Lot Essay
This arresting and engaging portrait of a young boy is an exemplary work by the talented Massachusetts artist Deacon Robert Peckham (1785-1877). Peckham was born in Petersham, Massachusetts on September 10, 1785. Little is known about his early life until his marriage to Ruth Wolcott Sawyer in 1813. They had nine children together and eventually settled in Westminster by 1820. Peckham began his professional career as an self-advertised ornamental and sign painter before including his services as a portrait painter. The present portrait is an earlier work by Peckham and is of the deceased son of Oliver Adams (1790-1839). Oliver married Zilpah Sawyer (1795-1852) who was the sister-in-law to Peckham. Oliver and Zilpah had two sons who died in early infancy, Oliver Ellis Adams (b. 1820) and Oliver Adams (b. 1822). Both were painted post-mortem by Peckham (for Oliver Ellis Adams, see Sotheby’s, New York, 26 October 1985, lot 2). The sitter in the present portrait historically has been identified as John Adams as published in Peter Tillou’s 1976 catalogue, but his identity has been contended by Dale T. Johnson in her 1979 article which argues the sitter is Oliver Adams. Town records confirm the birth and death of the two Adams boys, and they are also included in the ‘family record’ painted by Peckham in the 1831 Children of Oliver Adams (Private Collection, Charles N. Grichar). This portrait was done following the death of another son Joseph Sawyer. Painted in the background is a plaque listing the birth and death dates of the family’s children, including those for Oliver Ellis and Oliver.
The present portrait is a bold composition that is characteristic of Peckham and his work, especially of his earlier paintings. At the center, stands a very young Oliver. He is dressed in a vibrant red and holds a toy hammer in his right hand. The detailed interiors lend curiosity and a sense of place, but also demonstrate Peckham’s struggle with perspective. The relationships between the objects such as the chair, blue Staffordshire jug on the windowsill and mug on the table behind Oliver, are abstract and lend a two-dimensionality to the work. He also paints the dog in the foreground over the work, rather than attempting to realistically integrate the animal. This is evident by the red of the boy’s dress coming through the dog’s body. Peckham rarely signed his work and the majority of attributions are made on style and a familial connection to the artist. This portrait of Oliver Adams can be firmly attributed to Peckham through exploring both avenues. In addition to the noted stylistic qualities present, Peckham uses a hard singular light source and stiff pose. Most notably, and perhaps Peckham’s greatest trademark, is the intense direct gaze of his sitters. Like other portraits, Peckham paints Oliver staring directly out at the viewer, forcing engagement and imparting a feeling of consciousness. Although his renderings of interiors may be unrealistic, Peckham successfully imbues vivacity in his portraits by his ability to portray the sitter with life and personality.
In addition to his professional career as an artist, Robert Peckham also served as the deacon of Westminster’s First Congregational Church for 14 years. Peckham was a committed abolitionist and according to family tradition, his home was a part of the Underground Railroad. His strong position on slavery created tension and frayed his relationship with the church. In 1842, he resigned from the deaconship after the death of his wife and he was later excommunicated from the church in 1850, after which he moved with his family to Worcester. Once the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, Peckham returned to Westminster where he lived until his death in 1877.
The present portrait is a bold composition that is characteristic of Peckham and his work, especially of his earlier paintings. At the center, stands a very young Oliver. He is dressed in a vibrant red and holds a toy hammer in his right hand. The detailed interiors lend curiosity and a sense of place, but also demonstrate Peckham’s struggle with perspective. The relationships between the objects such as the chair, blue Staffordshire jug on the windowsill and mug on the table behind Oliver, are abstract and lend a two-dimensionality to the work. He also paints the dog in the foreground over the work, rather than attempting to realistically integrate the animal. This is evident by the red of the boy’s dress coming through the dog’s body. Peckham rarely signed his work and the majority of attributions are made on style and a familial connection to the artist. This portrait of Oliver Adams can be firmly attributed to Peckham through exploring both avenues. In addition to the noted stylistic qualities present, Peckham uses a hard singular light source and stiff pose. Most notably, and perhaps Peckham’s greatest trademark, is the intense direct gaze of his sitters. Like other portraits, Peckham paints Oliver staring directly out at the viewer, forcing engagement and imparting a feeling of consciousness. Although his renderings of interiors may be unrealistic, Peckham successfully imbues vivacity in his portraits by his ability to portray the sitter with life and personality.
In addition to his professional career as an artist, Robert Peckham also served as the deacon of Westminster’s First Congregational Church for 14 years. Peckham was a committed abolitionist and according to family tradition, his home was a part of the Underground Railroad. His strong position on slavery created tension and frayed his relationship with the church. In 1842, he resigned from the deaconship after the death of his wife and he was later excommunicated from the church in 1850, after which he moved with his family to Worcester. Once the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, Peckham returned to Westminster where he lived until his death in 1877.