John Nivison
Artist
Cephas Thompson
(American, 1775-1856)
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1812
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 30 1/4 x 25 in. (76.8 x 63.5 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. William Tazewell
Object number82.97
Not on view
DescriptionOil on canvas painting.Label TextCephas Thompson American, 1775–1856 John Nivison, ca. 1812 Oil on canvas Following several years of work in Alexandria and Richmond, itinerant portrait painter Cephas Thompson moved to Norfolk in 1811. Newspaper ads announced his services, saying, “C. Thompson, Portrait Painter, respectfully informs the inhabitants of Norfolk and its vicinity that he has commenced business in Talbot Street, No. 10, where some specimens may be seen.” Clients included Norfolk politician John Nivison (ca. 1757–1820), a member of the Tazewell family and a founding member of Phi Beta Kappa. The War of 1812 and its threats to Norfolk’s shipping economy may have cut short Thompson’s Norfolk career, for he returned to his native Massachusetts after only a few months. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Tazewell 82.97 ProvenanceDescended from Mr. Tazewell from his great-great grandfather's father-in-law. This portrait remained in the family until Mr. and Mrs. William Tazewell gave it as a gift to the Chrysler Museum, 1982. Exhibition History"Cephas Thompson: Portraits of Eminent Virginians, 1807-1812," The Lyceum, Alexandria, Va., January 28 - May 31, 1994. "The Norfolk Rooms," Willoughby-Baylor House, Norfolk, VA, opened August 16, 2014.Published References"A Most Favorable and Striking Resemblance," The Virginia Portraits of Cephas Thompson (1775-1856), JOURNAL OF EARLY SOUTHERN DECORATIVE ARTS, Vol XXIII, No. I, (Summer 1997): 32-34. **The back of the journal, p. 85, different dimensions were noted in the catalog section (dimensions given: 27 x 22-1/8) from the illustraton within the article p.32.
