Robert Field (1769–1819) was a painter who was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and died in Kingston, Jamaica. According to art historian

Daphne Foskett Daphne Foskett ( Kirk; 23 December 1911 – 15 June 1998) was an English art connoisseur and art writer. She became interested in portrait miniatures while living in Edinburgh in the late 1950s and was encouraged to publish her research as her kn ...

, author of ''A Dictionary of British Miniature Painters'' (1972), Field was "one of the best American miniaturists of his time." During Field's time in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

at the beginning of the nineteenth century, he was the most professionally trained painter in present-day

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He worked in the conventional neo-classic portrait style of

Henry Raeburn Sir Henry Raeburn (; 4 March 1756 – 8 July 1823) was a Scottish portrait painter. He served as Portrait Painter to King George IV in Scotland. Biography Raeburn was born the son of a manufacturer in Stockbridge, on the Water of Leith: a f ...

and Gilbert Stuart. His most famous works are two groups of miniatures of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

, commissioned by his wife

Martha Washington Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 21, 1731 — May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington served as the inaugural ...

. (Field's miniatures of both are in the

Yale University Art Gallery The Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG) is the oldest university art museum in the Western Hemisphere. It houses a major encyclopedic collection of art in several interconnected buildings on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. ...

permanent collection.)

America

He received his early training at Royal Academy schools in

in 1790. In 1794, he moved to the United States, where he took up residence in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, the nation's first capital. In Philadelphia, Field immediately joined a group of artists led by

Charles Willson Peale Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American Painting, painter, soldier, scientist, inventor, politician and naturalist. He is best remembered for his portrait paintings of leading figures of the American Revolu ...

in establishing the Columbianum, or American Academy of the Fine Arts, which was eventually superseded by the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

in 1805. Field spent 14 years in the U.S., working as a miniature painter in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Philadelphia,

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. During this period, he produced miniatures of

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

and

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

, and a wide range of people prominent in the social, economic, and political life of American society. According to historian Harry Piers, Field was one of the four most highly sought American miniaturists in his time. Martha Washington herself commissioned Field in 1800 to paint a group of miniature as mementoes for friends and family, to commemorate the revered General and President on the one-year anniversary of his death. Two groups of miniatures of George Washington were produced by Field at Martha's request in late 1800, the first group showing him in civilian dress, the second as general in full uniform.

Nova Scotia

When tensions between America and England started to rise in the lead up to the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, Field remained a loyalist and moved from Boston to Halifax, Nova Scotia (1808). He served in the 1st Company of Halifax Volunteer Artillery in 1812. He became a member of the

Charitable Irish Society of Halifax The Charitable Irish Society of Halifax is a historic society in Halifax, Nova Scotia which was established in 1786. The Society assists those on low-income and holds other charitable events. Many of the most prominent members of Nova Scotia have ...

.Canadian Biography Online He continued to produce miniatures, but he also painted more than 50 oil portraits of government officials, military officers, merchants, and assorted members of the Halifax "gentility"; among his subjects were Bishop Charles Inglis, former lieutenant governor Sir John Wentworth, Sir

George Prevost George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

, Sir John Coape Sherbrooke, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Provo William Parry Wallis, and Sir

Alexander Forrester Inglis Cochrane Admiral of the Blue Sir Alexander Inglis Cochrane (born Alexander Forrester Cochrane; 23 April 1758 – 26 January 1832) was a senior Royal Navy commander during the Napoleonic Wars and achieved the rank of admiral. He had previously captaine ...

, vice-admiral in the Royal Navy (whose portrait was shown at the Royal Academy exhibition in London in 1810).

Jamaica

In 1816 he moved to

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, settling first in Montego Bay and then in Kingston. He died on 9 August 1819, apparently of

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

, and was buried in an unmarked grave in the old "West Ground" cemetery, now called the Strangers' Burial Ground, near the Kingston parish church.

Gallery

File:ThomasJeffersonByRobertField.jpg, American President

File:RichardJohnUniackeByRobertField.jpg, Richard John Uniacke (1811) File:Charles Inglis by Robert Field.jpg, Charles Inglis ( National Portrait Gallery, London) File:SirJohnSherbrookeByRobertField.jpg, Sir John Coape Sherbrooke ( The Halifax Club) File:WilliamParryWallisByRobertField.jpg,

Provo Wallis Provo or Provos may refer to: In geography In the United States * Provo, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Provo, South Dakota, an unincorporated community * Provo Township, Fall River County, South Dakota * Provo, Utah, a city ** Provo P ...

, (

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the ...

) File:SirGeorgePrevostByRobertField.jpg, Sir

, The Halifax Club,

File:Matthew Richardson (merchant) by RobertField, Government House Nova Scotia.jpg, Matthew Richardson (merchant) , (

Government House (Nova Scotia) Government House of Nova Scotia is the official residence of the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia, as well as that in Halifax of the Canadian monarch. It stands in the provincial capital at 1451 Barrington Street; unlike other provincial Govern ...

File:AndrewBelcherbyRobertFieldGovernmentHouseNovaScotia.jpg, Andrew Belcher,

File:Sir Alexander Croke.png, Sir Alexander Croke (

) File:Archibald Gray by Robert Field, Halifax, Nova Scotia.jpg, Rev Archibald Gray File:Admiral Sir Alexander Inglis Cochrane (1758–1832).jpg, Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane

Other works

References

Sources

* ''Robert Field'', Art Gallery of Nova Scotia 1978
Harry Piers. Artists of Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia Historical Society. 1914.
p. 112- 119
Early American portrait painters in miniature by Theodore Bolton. New York. 1921 - Robert Field

Piers, Harry, Robert Field: Portrait Painter in Oils, Miniature and Water-Colours and Engraver, New York, 1927.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Field, Robert 1769 births 1819 deaths 18th-century American painters 18th-century American male artists American male painters 19th-century American painters Canadian painters Artists from Nova Scotia 19th-century American male artists