A TOUR OF THE PORTRAIT COLLECTION
IN THE RICHARD W. WOOLWORTH LIBRARY (PART III)
West Wall Portraits
This wall, named for Anne Jones Fuller (1908-1994), has mostly portraits
by a 19th century artist, Phineas Stanton/Staunton (1816-1867). The Society
owns eleven portraits by this artist; the only other institution which
owns more is the Leroy Historical Society, in Stanton's home town of
Leroy, New York.
Elisha Faxon Sr. painted by Phineas Stanton
Phineas Stanton was born in western New York State, and took an early
interest in portraiture. He took courses at the Philadelphia Academy
of Fine Arts 1838-1839, and in 1840 he established himself in Buffalo
as a portrait painter. In the years following he travelled to New Orleans,
Savannah and Charleston, where he painted portraits, and to Stonington,
where he still had family connections. The Stonington portraits were
painted between 1846 and 1854. In 1847 he married Miss Emily Ingram who
with her sister ran the LeRoy Female Seminary in LeRoy, New York where
Phineas taught landscape painting. This institution became Ingham Collegiate
Institute, and later Ingham University, with Phineas as vice-chancellor.
In 1859, he represented this institution at the first meeting in Washington
DC of the National Convention of Artists, chaired by Rembrandt Peale.
In 1861 he took part in the Civil War in a regiment from LeRoy, and was
wounded in 1862 at the Battle of Fair Oaks. He became commander of his
regiment, but in October 1862 he returned to New York. By 1864, he was
renting a studio at the 10th Street Studio and painting portraits in
New York City. In 1867, he joined an expedition to South America, organized
by Williams College and the Smithsonian Institute, as recording artist.
He was stricken with yellow fever and died in Quito on 5 September 1867,
and was buried there in the newly created Protestant Cemetery.
The portraits on this page are of Elisha Faxon Sr., Elisha Faxon Jr.,
Captain Francis Amy, Mrs. Francis Amy, Andrew Sterritt Matthews, all
of Stonington, and Dr. Daniel Webster. Possibly the portraits of the
two Stanton brothers, were also painted by Phineas Stanton, but that
has not been confirmed. Other Phineas Stanton portraits may be seen in
the Lighthouse Museum, the Capt. Nathaniel B. Palmer House, and the Ocean
Bank Building on Cannon Square in Stonington Borough.
Elisha Faxon Jr.
Captain Francis Amy
Mrs. Francis Amy
Andrew Sterritt Matthews
Dr. Daniel Webster
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