Estimated Price:

$15,000 - $25,000

Realized Price:

$0

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att. Wm. J. Weaver (1759-1817), Alexander Hamilton
oil on panel, unsigned, housed in a period gilt composition frame with beaded decoration and acanthus motif fillet and with oval sand decorated liner.
Panel 9 x 6 7/8 in.; SS 7.75 x 5.75 in.; DOA 12 x 10 1/8 in.
We wish to thank Whitehall Appraisal Services for research on the portrait.
The Estate of the Late Dr. Chuck Alcorn, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Purchased by the consignor's mother from the Baldwin-Reynolds House in Meadville, PA. A typed note on the verso states that this "Portrait of Alexander Hamilton presented to William Reynolds by John B. Wallace, in 1835.ö John Bradford Wallace was born in 1778 in Somerset County, New Jersey to a prominent American family. A nephew of William Bradford, Attorney General of the United States from 1794 until his untimely death in 1795, Wallace followed in the law profession. He graduated from Princeton in 1794 and was admitted to the bar of Philadelphia in 1797. Wallace wrote ably in defense of the Federal Party throughout his career. As such, it is not surprising that he would possess a portrait of Alexander Hamilton, the founder of the Federal Party in 1792. John Wallace purchased lands from the Population Land Company in 1814 and was a resident of Meadville, PA in Crawford County by 1820, living in a house on the west side of the Public Square. Although not successful with his land purchases, he continued to practice law and represented his district in the state legislature from 1831 until 1834. He and his wife were also prominent members of society. John Wallace likely befriended Henry Baldwin in Meadville. A fellow lawyer and native of Meadville, Baldwin was also involved in politics and served three terms in the United States House of Representatives. Upon his retiring from the bench, he and his wife, Sally, decided to build their own version of a Southern plantation home in Meadville. His retirement was unfortunately short-lived and he died before even living in the ôMount Vernon of Meadvilleö a year. The property remained in the hands of his wife Sally, who deeded it to her nephew William Reynolds in 1847. William Reynolds and his wife, Julia, moved into the Baldwin house in 1847. Reynolds was a pillar in the community, serving as one of the most influential businessmen in town - dabbling in land, utilities, and railroads. Just a small list of ReynoldÆs accomplishments include President of the Meadville Gas and Water Company, the last burgess of Meadville, the cityÆs first mayor, founder and President of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad. He and Julia spent over sixty years in the home, transforming the ôplantationö into a proper Victorian mansion. They raised their family and eventually passed it on to their son, John Earl Reynolds who remained in the home with his longtime love, Katherine Shryock. John Earl died in 1947 and Katherine continued on in the home until her death in 1963. It was then that the house and contents were put up at public sale. The contents dispersed, the house was purchased by the Crawford County Historic Society and is maintained as a house museum.