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Elijah Boardman

Elijah Boardman

Artist: Ralph Earl (American, Worcester County, Massachusetts 1751–1801 Bolton, Connecticut)
Date: 1789
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 83 x 51 in. (210.8 x 129.5 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Bequest of Susan W. Tyler, 1979
Accession Number: 1979.395
On view in Gallery 755
Description Object Information Related Objects Online Resources Video Audio
Earl portrayed the richly dressed dry goods merchant Elijah Boardman (1760–1823) in his store in New Milford, Connecticut. His right hand rests on a counting desk protected and decorated by green cloth secured with brass nails. The shelves of the desk house books, including Moore's "Travels," Shakespeare's plays, Milton's "Paradise Lost," Johnson's dictionary, and the "London Magazine" for 1786. Through the open paneled door to the right of the subject, bolts of plain and patterned textiles, including one with a prominently displayed British tax stamp, invite inspection and tell the viewer how Boardman earned a living, just as the books in his desk and the letter in his hand speak of his learning and awareness of culture. Earl also painted Esther Boardman, sister to Elijah (1991.338).
  • Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

    Signature: [at lower left]: R. Earl pinxt 1789

  • Provenance

    By descent, Cornelius Boardman Tyler, Plainfield, New Jersey, died 1955; Mrs. Cornelius Boardman (Susan W.) Tyler, Fairfield, New Jersey, died 1979

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Esther Boardman

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