Simeon Butler
Image ID: ART054
oil painting of Simeon Butler, signed and dated on back of canvas: La Fossy, pinxit [painted by] A.D. 1837
Hung in the Reading Room of Forbes Library, Northampton, MA.
Forbes Library owns another fine portrait from the same period, "Simeon Butler," painted in 1837 by La Fossy, whose background is undetermined. Before the painting was cleaned, in 1983, it had been so black that the figure was barley discernible, and the artist was unknown. Now, after treatment, the artist's name was revealed and the canvas again shows a striking visage of noted Northampton publisher, Simeon Butler (1770-1847). A resident of Northampton for fifty years, Butler published two or three thousand volumes of valuable books, including the first volume of the Massachusetts Reports.
The provenance of the painting, and the date of its arrival at Forbes, are unknown.
Hung in the Reading Room of Forbes Library, Northampton, MA.
Forbes Library owns another fine portrait from the same period, "Simeon Butler," painted in 1837 by La Fossy, whose background is undetermined. Before the painting was cleaned, in 1983, it had been so black that the figure was barley discernible, and the artist was unknown. Now, after treatment, the artist's name was revealed and the canvas again shows a striking visage of noted Northampton publisher, Simeon Butler (1770-1847). A resident of Northampton for fifty years, Butler published two or three thousand volumes of valuable books, including the first volume of the Massachusetts Reports.
The provenance of the painting, and the date of its arrival at Forbes, are unknown.
Image Details
| Dublin Core | |
|---|---|
| Title |
Simeon Butler
|
| Subject |
Simeon Butler
Oil paintings
Portrait paintings
|
| Description |
oil painting of Simeon Butler, signed and dated on back of canvas: La Fossy, pinxit [painted by] A.D. 1837
Hung in the Reading Room of Forbes Library, Northampton, MA. Forbes Library owns another fine portrait from the same period, "Simeon Butler," painted in 1837 by La Fossy, whose background is undetermined. Before the painting was cleaned, in 1983, it had been so black that the figure was barley discernible, and the artist was unknown. Now, after treatment, the artist's name was revealed and the canvas again shows a striking visage of noted Northampton publisher, Simeon Butler (1770-1847). A resident of Northampton for fifty years, Butler published two or three thousand volumes of valuable books, including the first volume of the Massachusetts Reports. The provenance of the painting, and the date of its arrival at Forbes, are unknown. |
| Creator |
La Fossy
|
| Date |
signed and dated on back of canvas: La Fossy, pinxit (painted by) A.D. 1837
|
| Format |
Portrait paintings
|
| Identifier |
ART054
|
| Still Image Item Type Metadata | |
|---|---|
| Original Format |
painting
|
| Physical Dimensions |
28.5" x 23"
|
Citation
La Fossy, “Simeon Butler,” Forbes Library Images from the Archives, accessed April 26, 2024, https://images.forbeslibrary.org/items/show/879.