Milton Hopkins (1789-1844)

together with a cabinet card photograph of Edwin William Freese circa 1880.

By descent through the Freese family;
Old Hope Antiques, New Hope, Pennsylvania;
Northeast Auctions, Manchester, New Hampshire, The Collection of Miriam and Arthur Spector, August 7, 2004, lot 667;
Joan R. Brownstein Art & Antiques, Newbury, Massachusetts.

Restretched but unlined. Scattered minor inpainting in the face and collar of the boy. Overall very good condition and appears to retain original frame.
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.

Born in 1823 in Hinckley, Ohio, he moved with his parents to Brunswick, Ohio in 1831.  His father was Abraham Freese (1786-1857) and his mother was Melissa Deming.  His father was a county surveyor and eventually auditor of Medina County.  Edwin learned the surveyor trade from him. When he was 26, Edwin and four friends followed the lure of the California gold rush and took a ship through Panama and back.  When he returned (with one nugget), Edwin married a lady named Ms. Whittlesey, with whom he had a son, George Williams Freese.  At age 47, they moved to Michigan, where Edwin founded the town of Clinton, Michigan in 1870 and opened his dry goods store.  Most of his adult life, he ran the dry goods store.  He died there at the age of 92.