Lot 536: Robert Deacon Peckham (American, 1785-1877) Portrait of Phineas Reed. Unsigned, the subject's name inscribed on a note attached to the

Robert Deacon Peckham (American, 1785-1877)

Portrait of Phineas Reed. Unsigned, the subject's name inscribed on a note attached to the reverse. Oil on panel, 28 3/8 x 22 in., in a period molded giltwood frame. Condition: Minor paint loss, a few superfluous specks of paint.

Note: This portrait may depict Phineas W. Reed, a storekeeper residing in the town of Westminster, Massachusetts, where Robert Deacon Peckham lived and painted for many years. Town history states that Phineas was born in 1807, and upon reaching a mature age, he became a partner at the Whitman & Reed store. After some time he withdrew from the partnership, and took up farming in the later years of his life. He married the widow Sally Samuelson and settled in the Captain Whitney house at the corner of Main and Bacon Streets. He died in 1861 at the age of 54.