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Mary Darnall Carroll (Mrs. Charles Carroll, the "Settler"), by Gustavus Hesselius, c. 1717-1720. Oil on canvas. 30 7/64 x 25 13/64 in. (76.5 x 64.0 cm). Maryland Historical Society
Accession: 1949-64-1.
Copyright
Col. Leonard Hollyday, by Gustavus Hesselius, c. 1740. Oil on canvas. 27 55/64 x 23 7/64 in. (70.8 x 58.7 cm). Maryland Historical Society, Accession: 1960-88-1.
Copyright
Thomas Bordley, by Gustavus Hesselius, c. 1715. Oil on canvas. 27 x 22 41/64 in.(68.6 x 57.5 cm). Maryland Historical Society
Accession: 1891-2-1.
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Medium/Discipline: Painting
Birthplace: Sweden
Place of Death: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Maryland Affiliation: Active while in residence
Prominent Theme: Portraits; Religious Painting
Places of Residence: until 1711, Sweden; 1711-7, Philadelphia, PA; 1717-21, Prince George's County, MD; 1721-death, Philadelphia
Gender: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White
Biography: The father of artist John Hesselius (1728-1778), Gustavus Hesselius entered the United States in Delaware from Sweden in 1711. J. Hall Pleasants has said that Hesselius became "America's earliest portrait painter of note." He was the cousin of the religious leader Emmanuel Swedenborg. Gustavus Hesselius left Wilmington, Delaware for Philadelphia, where he lived from 1717-21. He then moved to Prince George's County, Maryland to become a portrait painter. In 1721, Gustavus Hesselius received the first recorded public art commission in the American colonies. For the commission, he painted The Last Supper for the St. Barnabus Church in Prince George's County. He also painted a Crucifixion. About 1735, Hesselius returned to Philadelphia where he lived out his life, with visits to Maryland and Virginia among his travels. In 1746, he built an organ for the Moravian Church in Bethlehem; after 1750, he devoted considerable time to organ building and diverted portrait painting commissions to his son John.
Art-related Employment: portrait painter
Other Employment: organ builder
Selected References: Pleasants, J. Hall. Two Hundred and Fifty Years of Painting in Maryland (Baltimore: Baltimore Museum of Art), 1945.
Maryland Institutions Holding Artworks: Baltimore Museum of Art (painting); Maryland Historical Society
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