Blickensderfer, William Jacob Davenport, Adelaide Hutchings Davenport, Harriet Grant Chesebrough Dewing, Clark Leonard Dewing, Hiram Duffy, Edward Gildemeister, Clara Parsons Hanrahan, John T. Hoit, Edward B. Hoyt, Joseph Blachley Jones, Cortland Mead Lathrop, The Reverend Edward Lockwood, Judge Charles Davenport Machlett, Raymond R. Palmer, Delos Peters, The Reverend Cyril S. Quintard, Elizabeth Quintard, Mary “Polly” Selleck, Charlotte Gregory Selleck, George Selleck, Harriet Banks Selleck, James Weed Selleck, Captain William Studwell, Theodore Towne, Frederick Tallmadge Waterbury, Captain Marcus Wilensky, Julius Morris Introduction

The Stamford Historical Society Presents

Best Face Forward
Portraits from the Society's Collection
April through September 2009

Adelaide Hutchings Davenport (1877–1878)

Posthumous Oil on canvas John O’Brien Inman (1828–1896) S744-59 Gift of  Mrs. Elizabeth Davenport Spence

Adelaide, affectionately known as “Daisy,” was born August 2, 1877 and died July 22, 1878 – about one week shy of her first birthday. The artist shows her in her christening dress holding a rose of Sharon. She was the daughter of Theodore Davenport Jr., who for many years was associated with his father in the Stillwater and Roxbury Rolling Mills. Her mother was Georgia Elizabeth Williams Waters of Savannah.

On the back of the canvas is inscribed “To Mrs. Theo Davenport, Jr. I give a faint shadow of the little “Morning Glory’ now in Heaven, with the friendship of J. O’B. Inman, artist. 1878”

John O’Brien Inman was an accomplished and highly regarded artist in his own lifetime. He was the son of Henry Inman (1801-1846), well known for his landscapes, genre paintings, portraits and miniatures. Henry was one of the founders of the National Academy of Design in New York City in 1826. John received his early art training from his father, who unfortunately, died young.

Like many artists of the time Inman traveled widely. Before it became a popular destination for artists, Inman was in the Adirondacks where he painted several successful landscapes. In 1854 he spent time in Savannah and Athens, Georgia where he attempted to attract potential clients through advertisements and an agent.

In 1865 Inman was elected an associate member of the National Academy of Design and was represented in its annual exhibition of the same year. The following year he moved to Europe and opened a studio in Rome. He remained in Europe for twelve years and returned home shortly before he painted this beguiling portrait of “Daisy.”

Portrait of a Family: Stamford through the Legacy of the Davenports
Theodore Davenport, Jr.

Image © Stamford Historical Society