Artists Illustrating Boys' Fashions: Alban Jasper Conant (United States, 1821-15)



Figure 1.--We note an excellent portrat of the Kellogg children. We do not know when it was painted, but would guesss the 1850s. The family was from Old Bennington, Vermont. There were two sisters and two brothers. I do not have the date the portrait was set, but would guess the 1850s. I am not sure if they are related to the cereal Kelloggs.

Alban Jasper Conant was born in Chelsea, Vermonta. He was a respected portraitist , but his life was not restricted to art. He was a writer, and archaeologist. He also lived in New York City, and Troy, New York as well as St. Louis, Missouri. He was co-founder of the Western Academy of Art in St Louis which led to his interest in Archeology. He worked in Springfield, Illinois and Washington DC, where he painted portraits of leading citizens including Abraham Lincoln. One portrait painted in Springfield was of Linclon just before the Lincoln-Douglas debates. He also painted a portrait of Major Anderson, the hero of Fort Sumter. Conant was an essentially self-taught artist, but did take some classes at Madison University in Hamilton, New York. We note an excellent portrat of the Kellogg children. We do not know when it was painted, but would guesss the 1850s. The family was from Old Bennington, Vermont. There were two sisters and two brothers. I do not have the date the portrait was set, but would guess the 1850s. I am not sure if they are related to the cereal Kelloggs.

The Artist

Alban Jasper Conant was born in Chelsea, Vermonta. Conant was an essentially self-taught artist, but did take some classes at Madison University in Hamilton, New York. He was a respected portraitist, but his life was not restricted to art. He was a writer, and archaeologist. He also lived in New York City, and Troy, New York as well as St. Louis, Missouri. He was co-founder of the Western Academy of Art in St Louis which led to his interest in Archeology.

Portraits

Conant's wearly work was in Vermont and New York. We note many charming portraits during this period of a quality rare for a self-taught artist. He was by the 1860s worked in Springfield, Illinois and Washington DC, where he painted portraits of leading citizens including Abraham Lincoln. One portrait painted in Springfield was of Linclon just before the Lincoln-Douglas debates. He also painted a portrait of Major Anderson, the hero of Fort Sumter.

Kellogg Children

The family

We note an excellent portrat of the Kellogg children. We do not know when it was painted, but would guesss the 1850s. The family was from Old Bennington, Vermont. There were two sisters and two brothers. I do not have the date the portrait was set, but would guess the 1850s. I am not sure if they are related to the cereal Kelloggs. The children look to be about 6-13 years old. The girls may be twins.

Hair styles

The girls are not dressed alike, but as far as we can tell, the hair is done identically. Note the center part and ringlets. THe boys' hair is dome somewhat differently although the same length. Note that one boy has a left part and the other a right part. In this family long hair and ringlet curls appears to be a girl's fashion.

Clothing

The girls wear quite different dresses, although both have low necklines. They wear identical pantalettes and shoes. The boys wear different outfits although there is some similarity. One boy has a military-looking jacket with white trousers. The other boy wears more of a shirt. I think he had long trouses also, but we cannnot yet be sure.






Christopher Wagner





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Created: June 24, 2002
Last updated: June 24, 2002