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Unknown, American
Colonel Nathaniel Rochester, before 1831
American Painting
Oil on canvas
30 in. x 25 in. (76.2 cm x 63.5 cm), without frame
Gift of Thomas J. Watson, 34.1
Not currently on view
Portfolios in which this object can be found
About the Object
This formal gentleman was the founder of the city of Rochester, New York. His portrait was originally thought to have been painted by John James Audubon, but current scholarship has weighed in against that opinion.
Nathaniel Rochester was an enterprising individual, which was a characteristic of many early settlers. He founded businesses and churches, and held governmental positions. He was the first president of the Rochester Athenaeum, the precursor to the Rochester Institute of Technology, and he was instrumental in the organization of Monroe County and the building of the Erie Canal. His practical and inventive bent may have led him to wear four-lens spectacles, which allowed him to read small print and see at a distance using the same pair of glasses.
[Gallery label text, 2007]
- About the Artist: John James Audubon. Artist's Role: Previous attribution
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