Framed silhouette of gentleman in profile, facing viewer's right. He is perhaps early-to-middle-age years, dressed in high collar and coat. Below is the name "Amos Ellmaker" handwritten in cursive in faded black ink.
Image is cut out of a rectangle of white wove paper, superimposed on a matching piece of black silk and secured with stitches at periphery. There is a window mat of faded marbelized paper, frame is molded walnut.
Same marbelized paper also covers back of frame. Clipping from printed biographical article is pasted to back.
Moderate wear and aging overall. Wove paper is darkened with fold lines and pin holes. Frame is worn with loose joints. Frame backing paper shows wear at corners and was cut to remove artwork, replaced and secured with cellophane tape, now removed except for bottom strip, leaving adhesive residue.
Object ID
P.03.11.01
Notes
According to the Biographical Annals of Lancaster County, Amos Ellmaker (b. 2-2-1787 and d. 11-28-1851) was a man of intellect and attainment. He was grandson of immigrant Leonard Ellmaker (Germany to Earl Twp in 1726) and son of Nathaniel Ellmaker. He attended Princeton College, then law school in Litchfield, Conn. He began practice in Hbg., served as an officer in the War of 1812, later was appointed prosecuting attorney for Dauphin Co., elected to the State House of Representatives, appointed Presiding Judge for the district composed of Dauphin, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties, was later appointed Attorney General of Pa., but resigned in 1821 to move back to Lancaster. Judge Ellmaker was in 1832 a candidate of the anti-Masonic party for Vice-President of the U.S. In 1816, he had married Mary Rachel Elder of Harrisburg. They had six children.
Oil painting of Mrs. Alexander Hood seated on red chair with draped red curtain behind. Her dark brown hair is parted in the center and she is wearing a white covering with ruffles along sides covering her ears. The two wide sashes/ties hang down to her waist. A dainty lace collar piece, unattached, is around her neck with opening in front. She wears a black dress with gathers from a front vertical seam that ends in a point below her waist. Long sleeve visible on her left arm has two sections of gathers on the upper arm. Her left hand rests on her lap.
Artist: Arthur Armstrong, American portrait painter (b.1798-d.1851).
Some crackling overall. Some paint rubbed off above wooden edges. Some fine vertical streaks on woman's dress, left elbow. A small spot on right side of painting above red chair. Canvas nailed to stretcher bars in tact.
Bookplate is done on wove paper that is adhered to the detached front cover of a leatherbound New Testament and framed in a modern red and black frame. Unusual borders, motifs and strong primary colors of red, blue and yellow. Borders are bands of red and blue-painted rectangles at sides and red hears on a band of yellow at top and bottom. Additional red hearts flank side borders at top. Top 1/3 of bookplate has a compass-drawn motif of overlapping circles. The middle 1/3 of page is the text in German "Dieses Neue Testament/ Gerhort/ Henrich Scherch/ Ihm zur Lehr and Gott zur/ Ehr, Geshrieben im Yahr, 1823." Bottom of page has a large design of red and yellow fruit hanging from blue leaves dotted with red. (Written by Wendell Zercher)
Paper is generally good; colors have been smeared. lifted and muddled, esp. along top edge and bottom 1/3 of bookplate, probably due to moisture damage. Tear of 1 1/2" extends from left edged ( 1 1/2" up from bottom) into center of page. BP is adhered to detached front cover of NT that is deteriorated brown leather with metal hooks for clasps still intact; residue to glue at four corners.
Sampler on linen in painted yellow frame with brown felt liner. Worked in silk thread of colors: brown, tan, beige, lt. and dk.blue, lt. and dk. green and yellow.
5 sections divided by 4 horizontal borders. Description from top to bottom: Upper case alphabet in brown, tan, beige and dk. blue
Brown border- upper case alphabet in lt blue, tan, dk. green, dk. blue and beige, internally separated by lt. blue border
Beige border- in brown lettering is:"Emily Wilson Hopkin(s)/ Worked this sampler in/ the 8th year of her age"
Beige and blue border- "1826" in brown followed by embroidered figures: ? (in queen stitch), strawberry fruit plant, ?(in queen stitch), peacock, tree, and ?(possible animal). (all figures above a beige and tan "grass" border).
Entire sampler is surrounded by a lt. blue border.
(Written by Michael Middleton)
Provenance
Donor is granddaughter of Henry Slaymaker Magraw and Emily Hopkins Magraw, (married in Oct. or Nov. of 1840, according to "Marriages & Deaths...") Henry S. Magraw became an attorney in Lancaster in 1838 (Ellis & Evans, p. 245). By 1840, H.S. Magraw was listed as living in Pittsburgh.
Watercolor of a dove on a flowering branch on ruled cream colored paper which has been closely trimmed, then pasted onto another sheet of paper. Penciled outline around portions of dove. Painted in green, bright orange, purple and black, then over-varnished. Appears to have been done by an Amish hand, according to the Earnest, due to the palette used.
Re-framed in a sample black wood frame by Lancaster Galleries. (2001)
Provenance
Purchased for $475.00 from Russell and Corinne Earnest, Feb. 28,2000.
See Earnests' book, Fraktur, Folk Art and Family, 1999, pp. 74-75.
Minor acid burn. Received from seller in a pink paper mat in a dark pink wooden frame with a metal ring on top. Removed from acidic mount and reframed by Lancaster Galleries for exhibition.
Vase splat chair, back top rail is faced with a crotch-grain mahogony veneer and is a wide concave cross member with rounded ends, a rolled cresting and scroll-cut lower edge. The top is supported by plain rounded uprights that are a continuation of the square rear legs that have a backward saber curve.
The back is open with a wide urn-shaped splat that surmounts the upholstered, rectangular slip seat. The front rail has a conforming shape to the seat and is supported by the front legs that are flat and shaped in a reverse ogee curve with rounded front edges.
Vase splat chair, back top rail is faced with a crotch-grain mahogony veneer and is a wide concave cross member with rounded ends, a wide concave crest and scroll-cut lower edge. The top is supported by plain rounded uprights that are a continuation of the square rear legs that have a backward saber curve.
The back is open with a wide urn-shaped splat that surmounts the upholstered, rectangular slip seat. The front rail has a conforming shape to the seat and is supported by the front legs that are flat and shaped in a reverse ogee curve with rounded front edges.
American Sheraton bookcase has a flat overhanging molded cornice. Upper cabinet enclosed by a pair of glazed doors, each with six oblong panes set in straight molded mullions. Doors flanked at sides and center by narrow plain stiles, hung with butt hinges. The lower cabinet has two raised panel doors flanked at sides and center by narrow plain stiles and hung with butt hinges. The lower cabinet has two center swing raised panel doors that surmounts four bracket feet at the corners.
Framed theorem of stencil-painted fruit on light brown cotton velvet. Painting is a still life of variously colored fruits: melons, peaches, apricots, a half-eaten pear, grapes with leaves, plums and a pomegranate. Composed on a blue-colored base or table. An insect is depicted near bottom center below grapes.
There is no border signature or date. Frame is a flat-profiles with walnut veneer facing.
Provenance
Found in the Slaymaker attic among other framed objects, in very dirty conditions. Unknown maker, but possibly done at a Moravian school such as the one at Lititz. See Slaymakers at Linden Hall on page 147 of Slaymaker history.
Taken to Dottie McCoach for conservation June 1, 1998. Returned Sept. 17, 1998. See report in this file. After treatment the piece is still dark, stained and moisture damaged along the bottom.
Butterfly series purple transfer print. Central design features a bird, flowers and a butterfly. 3 butterflies with alternating flowers decorate the outer rim.
A purple design with "Butterfly" in the center is on the bottom of the dish. A crown with the maker's name is impressed onto the bottom: "Clews Warranted Staffordshire."
Two older stickers: "SD #49A" and "H 189."
Year Range From
1818
Year Range To
1834
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
DAC
Storage Wall
West Wall
Storage Cabinet
Unit 33
Storage Shelf
Shelf 3
Object Name
Saucer
Width (cm)
15.24
Width (ft)
0.5
Width (in)
6
Depth (cm)
3.81
Depth (ft)
0.125
Depth (in)
1.5
Condition
Good
Condition Date
2022-10-20
Condition Notes
Color on pattern is somewhat pale and part of design appear worn off.
