John Nelson Arnold (June 4, 1834 – May 31, 1909) was an American portrait painter. He was born on June 4, 1834, in Masonville,

Windham County, Connecticut Windham County ( ) is one of the eight counties in the U.S. state of Connecticut, located in its northeastern corner. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,418, making it the least populous county in Connecticut. It forms the core o ...

. He was the son of Benjamin Arnold and Thirza Whitford, and was descended from

Roger Williams Roger Williams (March 1683) was an English-born New England minister, theologian, author, and founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Pl ...

. His portraits of governors are located in the

Rhode Island State House The Rhode Island State House, the capitol of the state of Rhode Island, is located at 82 Smith Street just below the crest of Smith Hill, Providence, Rhode Island, Smith Hill, on the border of Downtown, Providence, Rhode Island, downtown in Prov ...

and other portraits are in the

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

Portrait Collection. Arnold painted portraits of

John Russell Bartlett John Russell Bartlett (October 23, 1805 – May 28, 1886) was an American historian and linguist. Early life Bartlett was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on October 23, 1805, the son of Smith Bartlett and Nancy (Russell) Bartlett. In 1819 he ...

John Brown Francis John Brown Francis (May 31, 1791 – August 9, 1864) was a governor and United States Senator from Rhode Island. Early life John Brown Francis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 31, 1791, son of John Francis and Abigail Brown. Fra ...

, Reuben Guild,

John Hay John Milton Hay (October 8, 1838July 1, 1905) was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over almost half a century. Beginning as a Secretary to the President of the United States, private secretary for Abraha ...

, John Pitman,

Barnas Sears Barnas Sears (November 19, 1802 – July 6, 1880) was an American educational theorist and Baptist theologian. Biography Sears graduated from Brown University in 1825 and from Newton Theological Institution in 1827. For a short time, he served ...

, Leonard Swain,

James Mitchell Varnum James Mitchell Varnum (December 17, 1748 – January 9, 1789) was an American legislator, lawyer, generalHeitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 559. in the Continental Army, and a pioneer to the Ohio Country.Wilkins, ''Memoirs of the Rho ...

Sarah Helen Whitman Sarah Helen Power Whitman (January 19, 1803 – June 27, 1878) was an American poet, essayist, transcendentalist, spiritualist and a romantic interest of Edgar Allan Poe. Early life Whitman was born in Providence, Rhode Island on January 19, ...

, and Alva Woods, among others. He published ''Art and Artists in Rhode Island'' in 1905. Arnold was also a member of the

Providence Art Club The Providence Art Club, Thomas Street, Providence, Rhode Island, was founded in 1880. An art club is an organization for artists and the community to engage and collaborate with each other in a shared space dedicated to art and culture. The P ...

from its founding in 1880 to his death in 1909. He married his student, Clara L. Maxfield in 1908. At the time, he was 73 and she was 27. He died on May 31, 1909.

References

External links

Portraits by John Nelson Arnold
at the Brown University Portrait Collection * Portraits by John Nelson Arnold at Wikimedia Commons {{DEFAULTSORT:Arnold, John 1834 births 1909 deaths American portrait painters People from Windham County, Connecticut Artists from Providence, Rhode Island