Lot 215: Possibly the Work of Isaac Sheffield, (Connecticut, 1798-1845) Lot of Two Portraits: Captain Gray and His...

Possibly the Work of Isaac Sheffield, (Connecticut, 1798-1845)

Lot of Two Portraits: Captain Gray and His Wife Sarah of New London, Connecticut. Unsigned. Oil on canvas, depicting the gentleman holding a spyglass in one hand with a seascape in the background, his wife holds a letter in her hand inscribed "Mrs. Sarah A. Gray New London, Connecticut US" postmarked "New York Nov. 2," 36 1/2 x 30 in., in original molded mahogany veneer frames. Condition: Captain Gray has minor spots of retouch to jacket and background, Sarah Gray has two small patch repairs, one at center, and one at c.r. with associated retouch, retouch along right edge.

Provenance: Purchased at William Fells Poughkeepsie, New York Auction House who bought the contents of the house of Captain and Sarah Gray's granddaughter, Mrs. Burton Easton of Poughkeepsie, New York.

Note: Isaac Sheffield was an itinerant Connecticut painter, born in Guilford, Connecticut, and painted in the 1830s and early 1840s, and lived in New London, Connecticut.