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for Ithiel Town
1784 - 1844
In his youth Town worked as a carpenter and often helped build houses, labor that led him to become interested in architecture. Eventually he traveled to Boston, where he studied under the architect Asher Benjamin. From 1812 to 1814 he and Benjamin designed and constructed Center Church in New Haven. When that edifice was completed, Town was hired to plan and build Trinity Church, also in New Haven. In 1820 he patented the ''Town Truss," a simple and sturdy type of bridge that soon became standard in New England. With his reputation secured, Town was frequently engaged to design both private and public buildings. Commissions often brought him to New York, and when the National Academy of Design was founded he was promptly elected a member. In 1827 he formed a partnership with Martin E. Thompson (also a founding member of the Academy). After traveling in Europe with Nathaniel Jocelyn and Samuel F. B. Morse in 1830 and 1831, he returned to New York and entered a new partnership with Alexander J. Davis. Together they designed such buildings as the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford and the U.S. Customs House (now Federal Hall National Memorial) in New York. In his later years, Town amassed an extensive library on architecture and the fine arts that was long considered the best of its kind in the United States.
In this painting Jocelyn makes specific reference to Town's role as both architect and bibliophile. While the Parthenon-like Greek temple atop the hill in the background could be considered a fairly standard element in a portrait of an architect, it has particular relevance to Town, who sought to revive the classical tradition in American architecture.
Although the condition of this painting makes a firm attribution impossible, it is nonetheless consistent with Jocelyn’s style. Jocelyn and Town were well acquainted, and the artist is known to have done a portrait of Town's daughter. The allusion in the portrait to Town's role as a book collector suggests that Jocelyn painted it after the subject returned from Europe, probably in the mid-1830s.
In this painting Jocelyn makes specific reference to Town's role as both architect and bibliophile. While the Parthenon-like Greek temple atop the hill in the background could be considered a fairly standard element in a portrait of an architect, it has particular relevance to Town, who sought to revive the classical tradition in American architecture.
Although the condition of this painting makes a firm attribution impossible, it is nonetheless consistent with Jocelyn’s style. Jocelyn and Town were well acquainted, and the artist is known to have done a portrait of Town's daughter. The allusion in the portrait to Town's role as a book collector suggests that Jocelyn painted it after the subject returned from Europe, probably in the mid-1830s.
