Date:
c. 1840
Title:
Portraits by Horace Rockwell
Description:
Horace Rockwell, the first known itinerant artist to visit and make a living in Fort Wayne, painted several of Allen County's founding families. While he claimed that he was born in New York on 7 July 1808, very little is known of Horace Rockwell's early years. Rockwell settled in Fort Wayne in 1836 and is considered to be the city's first professional painter. Besides his talent in the fine arts, he was also con-sidered an inventive genius. When not painting he devoted himself to the construction of a flying machine well before the time of the Wright Brothers.
These Rockwell portraits feature Aboite Township's first postmaster and canal inn proprietor, Jesse Vermilyea (1809-1846) and his wife Maria (1812-1849). According to long-held oral traditions, the family's canal inn is purported to have been a safe haven along the Underground Railroad. The Vermilyea portraits, oil on canvas, were painted about 1840.
These Rockwell portraits feature Aboite Township's first postmaster and canal inn proprietor, Jesse Vermilyea (1809-1846) and his wife Maria (1812-1849). According to long-held oral traditions, the family's canal inn is purported to have been a safe haven along the Underground Railroad. The Vermilyea portraits, oil on canvas, were painted about 1840.
Click to Enlarge
Jesse Vermilyea portrait by Horace Rockwell
Portrait of Maria Vermilyea by Horace Rockwell
Jesse Vermilyea portrait by Horace Rockwell
Portrait of Maria Vermilyea by Horace Rockwell