Joseph H. (J. H. Davis) (fl. circa 1832-1837)

inscribed recto, bottom margin, ink: John P. Demeritt. Aged 32 Feby 26, 1836.; on map: MAP;  on letter: December [?] [illegible]; verso of backing board, typewritten paper label: From Durgin family, Barrington, N.H. descendants of / J.F. Demeritt, who was a/schoolmaster. Orig. frame & / glass. He married Eliza / Davis in 1845.

Descended in family to the Misses Durgin (sitter's great-grandnieces), Barrington, New Hampshire
R.G. Clifton, Franklin, New Hampshire
Bertram K. and Nina Fletcher Little, Brookline, Massachusetts
Sotheby’s New York, "The Bertram K. Little and Nina Fletcher Little Collection, Part II," October 21-22, 1994, lot 883

"The Decorative Arts of New Hampshire, 1725-1825," Currier Gallery of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire, 1964
"Three New England Watercolor Painters," Art Institute of Chicago, 1974
"American Folk Painters of Three Centuries," Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1980
"Folk Art Revealed," New York, American Folk Art Museum, November 16, 2004-August 23, 2009
"Compass: Folk Art in Four Directions," New York, The South Street Seaport Museum, June 20-October 7, 2012

Lipman, Jean, and Tom Armstrong, eds., American Folk Painters of Three Centuries, New York: Hudson Hills Press in association with Whitney Museum of American Art, 1980, p. 68
Little, Nina Fletcher, "Indigenous Painting in New Hampshire," Antiques 84, no. 1 (July 1964): 65
--. "New Light on Joseph H. Davis, ‘Left-Hand Painter,’" Antiques 98, no. 5 (November 1970): 754
--. "New Light on Joseph H. Davis, Left-Hand Painter," In Jack T. Ericson, ed. Folk Art in America: Painting and Sculpture, New York: Mayflower Books, 1978, p. 1
Savage, Gail, Norbert H. Savage, and Esther Sparks. Three New England Watercolor Painters. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1974, pp. 28-29
Spinney, Frank O. "Joseph H. Davis, New Hampshire Artist of the 1830s," The Magazine Antiques 44, no. 4 (October 1943): 179
American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 58, fig. 29

Minor discoloration in background; overall condition is very good.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

John F. Demeritt must have been proud of his writing ability, choosing to have Joseph H. Davis portray him in the dramatic act of composing a letter, with one hand holding a quill pen, the other pointing to the text. Paper, an inkwell, another pen, some books, and a bundle of quills with a knife to sharpen them are all included as props that contribute to Demeritt's portrayal as educated and accomplished. The global map hanging on the wall, showing both the western and eastern hemispheres, further suggests that his ambitions transcended the provincial.

According to family tradition, Demeritt worked as a schoolmaster in Barrington, New Hampshire, although contemporary records state that he also farmed.¹ One source indicates that even as late as 1874, the average school year in this town lasted only sixteen weeks.² Thus, the sitter could have taught calligraphy, penmanship, or even geography to augment his seasonal agricultural income, a common practice among residents in rural communities. Born on February 26, 1804, John was the son of Andrew and Susan Hill Demeritt of Barrington.³ During his courtship with his future wife, Eliza Davis (1807-1889), of Durham, New Hampshire, John wrote her a love letter in which he addressed their pending nuptials, stating that he hoped "my person and home be agreeable to you."⁴ He and Eliza were married almost a year later on February 20, 1845.⁵ The couple lived into their eighties; John F. Demeritt died on May 28, 1887, two years before his wife.⁶ -C.E.M.

¹ See death record for John F. Demeritt, May 28, 1887, in which his occupation is listed as farmer, Bureau of Vital Records, Concord, N.H., and 1850 federal census for Barrington, Strafford County, in which the sitter is identified as a farmer with real estate valued at $1,000. For information pertaining to Barrington, see Hurd, Rockingham and Strafford Counties, pp. 607-14.

² Alonzo J. Fogg, The Statistics and Gazetteer of New-Hampshire (Concord, N.H.: D.L. Guernsey, 1874), p. 61. John's brother Samuel M. worked as a teacher in Barrington. For contemporary references to his employment, see Mary C. Emhardt and Louise F. Williams, eds., Barrington, New Hampshire, 1722-1972 (Barrington, N.H.: Town of Barrington, 1972), p. 45, and Barrington Town Records I & II, microfilm, New Hampshire State Library, Concord. In 1836 Davis also executed a likeness of Samuel (private collection), illustrated in Little, "New Light on Joseph H. Davis," p. 755. Samuel's great-grandchildren, the Misses Durgin, inherited his portrait, that of his brother John, and a rare still-life composition by Davis (former collection Bertram K. and Nina Fletcher Little), illustrated in the catalog for Sotheby's sale 6612 (10/94, lot 885).

³ Demeritt death record, op. cit., and Robert S. Canney, Early Marriages of Strafford County, New Hampshire, 1630-1850 (Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1991), p. 122.

⁴ The present location of the letter, dated July 11, 1844, is unknown; see catalog for Sotheby's sale 6612 (10/94), lot 883.

⁵ Marriage record for John F. Demeritt and Eliza Davis, Feb. 20, 1845, Bureau of Vital Records, Concord, N.H., and Barrington Town Records, I: 822, microfilm, New Hampshire State Library, Concord.

⁶ Death record for Eliza Demeritt, Sept. 30,1889, Bureau of Vital Records, Concord, N.H., and Barrington, N.H., Historical Society, Graveyards of Barrington, New Hampshire (Barrington, N.H.: Barrington, N.H., Historical Society, 1976), pp. 52, 6A-5.