Richard Crump (American, Circa 1805-1853)

Richard Crump (American, Circa 1805-1853)

Pair of Portraits: Possibly Richard and Rebecca Crump
1838-1839
oil on canvas
each signed Rich'd Crump and dated to verso
29 3/4 x 25 inches.

The gentleman holds a copy of the Louisville Journal dated December 16, 1838, and points with his finger to text in the newspaper reading Richard Crump / Portrait Painter.

Little is currently known about the life and career of the Kentucky artist Richard Crump. Genealogical records from Bedford County, Virginia identify a Richard Crump (one of several) born in 1804, while noted art historian and scholar of southern portraiture Estill Curtis Pennington gives Crump’s life dates as circa 1816 – after 1852 in his discussion of Crump’s portrait of The Morris Family (circa 1840) in the collection of the Speed Museum (see Kentucky: The Master Painters from the Frontier Era to the Great Depression, Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2008). However, it is well documented that Crump established himself as a portrait artist in Louisville as early as 1836, when his studio was listed on the east side of 3rd Street between Main and Market. His residence was listed at that time as on 1st Street between Green and Walnut. Crump moved several times over the next decade but continued to be listed as an artist and portrait painter in Louisville until at least 1852. Following the death of his first wife, Rebecca, from tuberculosis in 1841, Crump seems to have remarried, as he is recorded in the census of 1850 as living in Louisville’s Ward 8 with a wife, Elizabeth, and six children. The 1860 census lists Elizabeth and three non-adult children, but not Crump himself.

This lot is located in Cincinnati.
Property from a Kentucky Collector Fine Art Framed: 36 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches.

Both in overall stable condition, with minor deposits of surface dirt and dust. Old but stable craquelure present throughout portrait of the gentleman, with visible areas of inpainting to fill cracks throughout hair and to center background. Stretcher marks present to perimeter. Canvas has been edge lined with tacking strips, with patch visible to verso of original canvas (approx. 6 1/2 x 6 inches). Portrait of the lady with extensive craquelure throughout, with repaired tear visible to canvas near left armpit. Canvas has also been edge lined, with two patches visible to verso of original: one measures approx. 3 x 5 inches, applied to area with visible tear, and the second measures approx. 9 x 9 inches, applied to upper corner.

Glue from relining visible to both under UV light examination, with significant areas of inpainting also present. Affected areas within the gentleman's portrait include his hand and upper corner of the newspaper, as well as his hair, few areas of his face, and scattered areas throughout the background. Affected areas within the lady's portrait include her dress (particularly near repaired tear), forehead, and proper left cheek.