| Object ID |
1972.102 |
| Object Name |
Painting |
| Dimensions |
H-35 W-29 inches |
| Early Date |
1835 |
| Late Date |
1845 |
| Description |
Julius Norton, (1809-1861), was a gifted member of the well-known Norton family which made pottery in Bennington, Vermont, for over 100 years. The grandson of Captain John Norton, founder of the pottery, Julius carried on the family tradition. Educated at the Bennington Academy, he worked first with his father, Luman Norton, before going into partnership with his brother-in-law, Christopher Webber Fenton, from 1844 to 1847. He took over the management of the Pottery in 1847. Reputed to be the best flutist in Bennington County, Julius Norton also played the piano and violin, and was described in his day as "universally respected, honored and upright."
Erastus Salisbury Field was born in Leverett, Massachusetts in 1805 and, after training with Samuel F. B. Morse, worked as an itinerant artist painting portraits throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut. In 1839, Field travelled first ot Brattleboro, Vermont, and then to Bennington where he painted portraits of several members of the Norton family, four of which are in the Bennington Museum. Two years later, he moved to New York where he is listed as a resident until 1848 when he returned to the family homestead in Leverett.
Although Field's earlier work is characterized by hard-edged, somewhat flat figures that usually appear against an empty background with a halo effect surrounding the heads, his portraits after 1850 were almost all painted directly from photographs and, as a result, appear more realistic and often include background detail. Throughout his career, which spanned most of the 19th century, Field's work remained strong, colorful, and imposing. As Portraiture became more and more the province of the photographers, he turned his attention almost exclusively to painting historical and religious subjects. Field cast his vote in the Massachusetts State election just before his 95th birthday and was the oldest man in Franklin County when he died on June 28, 1900. |
| Credit |
Bequest of Mrs. Harold C. Payson (Dorothy Norton) |
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