Jonathan Sturges

Jonathan Sturges (1802–1874) was born in Southport, Connecticut, the son of Barnabas and Mary Sturges. Around 1821, he joined the grocery business of Luman Reed (63.36), becoming a partner in 1828 and, after Reed’s death, buying his share of the business with two other partners. Sturges was highly prosperous, serving, in addition to his business capacities, as the founder and director of the Bank of Commerce, a director of the Illinois Central Railroad, and as a major stockholder in the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Perhaps under Reed's influence, he played an active part in New York culture and society as a founding member of the Union League Club and the Century Association. Sturges's art collection and patronage were as significant as Reed's; he bought his partner's collection in 1844 and established it in the New-York Gallery of Fine Arts, later a part of the New-York Historical Society. He actively supported the artistic endeavors of Durand, William Sidney Mount, Francis W. Edmonds and many others, helping to forge an American school of artists. Durand here depicts Sturges in a manner akin to the poses and coloring used in several other portraits; however, the poor quality of his brushwork suggests this work may be a replica.