Nehemiah Partridge 1683 - 1730

Inscription on the verso of Mrs. Dunbar reads: Jannetje von Egmont Schermerhorn, second wife of John Dunbar, died Feb. 16, 1722 and was buried in the English church at Albany (St. Peter's). Their daughter Marry, married Joseph Gates, Sept. 5th 1737. Jannetje or Jane Gates, daughter of Mary and Joseph married October 9, 1778 to Cornelius Cuyler. Another label attached to the verso states: November 1940, rebacked and restored by Ha...M...Harmer.

John Dunbar (1670-1736) m. Jeannetta Von Egmont Schermerhorn (d. 1722 or 24);
Mary Dunbar, (daughter) m. Joseph Yates;
Jannetje (Jane) Yates, (daughter) m. Cornelius Cuyler;
Cornielius Cornielius Cuyler (1783-1850), (son) m. Eleanor DeGraaf (1790-1886);
Theodore Cuyler (1819-1876), (son) m. Mary Elizabeth de Witt (d. 1892);
Theodore de Witt Cuyler (1854-1922), (son) m. Frances Le Mis (d. 1940?);
Helen Scott Cuyler (1887-1977) m. Casper Wistar Morris (1880-1960), Haverford, Pennsylvania;
de Witt H. Cuyler Morris (1913-1967), (son), Haverford, Pennsylvania;
Mrs. Thomas Morris Johanson, (wife), Haverford, Pennsylvania;
Descended through the family;
Sotheby's, New York, October 15, 1999, sale 7350, lot 263;
Jonathan Trace, Cortlandt Manor, New York.

Heavy in-painting overall, particularly in faces. Oil on fine woven canvas. Have been relined on wooden board.
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.

On the verson of Mrs. Dunbar’s portrait is the following:  Jannetje von Egmont Schermerhorn, who was the second wife of John Dunbar. Jannetje died on February 16, 1722 and was buried in the English Church at Albany (St. Peter’s). Their daughter Mary, married Joseph Gates, Sept.5 1737. Jannetje or Jane Gates, daughter of Mary and Joseph Gates, was married October 9, 1778 to Cornelius Cuyler.

The artist, Nehemiah Partridge was born in 1683, the son of Colonel William and Mary Brown Partridge. His father was a prominent judge, treasurer and lieutenant-governor of New Hampshire as well as a merchant. His sister married Jonathan Belcher, later governor of the colony. Nehemiah was probably apprenticed to a japanner about 1695. By 1712, he was dealing in painter’s supplies in Boston and advertised his skill as a limner as well doing “all sorts of painting”. He appears to have been an active japanner from 1712 to 1714 with a shop at Mill Bridge in Boston, almost next to Thomas Child, the Boston decorative painter. The arrival of the talented British limner, John Smibert may have hastened Partridge’s plans to seek commissions elsewhere. He arrived in Manhattan in 1718, became a freeman, listing himself as a “limner” and did a few subjects (none identified today). That year he took James Smith as an apprentice. However, most of his known work is of Albany subjects (1718-22, 1724-25) and Schenectady (1724-25).

 That began with a commission to paint Evert Wendell and his family members, recorded in the Wendell account book, thereby identifying the otherwise illusive limner’s name. He also painted portraits in Newport in 1721 or 1722, and then in Jamestown and Williamsburg, Virginia 1722 or 1723 before returning to Albany. There are approximately 82 paintings attributed to Partridge.