A Gautier Portrait Added to the NYG&B Collection

Author

Mrs. Rodney W. Smith, with the agreement of her son, Winthrop Smith, has generously given a portrait to the Society. The portrait was received in November 2004. The sitter is now identified as Dr. Thomas Brown Gautier (1797-1850). The portrait is oil on canvas, 33¼ h. x 26¼ w., unsigned. Identification of a possible artist will require further research. The original handwritten inscription at the top of the back of the canvas, folded over the back of the stretcher, reads: “Thomas B. Gautier – b. 1797 – M.D.”

The Gautiers, an early Huguenot family in New York City, are of special interest to the Society due to the participation of John Stagg Gautier, a nephew of Thomas, as one of our first Trustees in 1870-71 and as first Editor of the Record1. Special thanks are due to our long-time editor of the Record, Harry Macy, Jr., for immediately recognizing the connection of this family to the first years of the Society.

The painting was mistakenly identified as a portrait of Théophile Gautier (1811-1872), French poet, novelist, and playwright, and described as the French ancestor of the family2. Based on “Aunt Mildred’s” will, Mrs. Smith wrote this identification prominently on a large white panel attached to the back of the stretcher. The earlier title, Dr. Thomas Brown Gautier, was lined out. This appears to have been done at the time the painting was restored by the Richmond Conservation Studio, 1322 West Broad St., Richmond, Va. Winthrop Smith identified his mother’s handwriting to me.

The Richmond Conservation Studio has given us a full copy of the conservation report beginning with an appraisal by Turner C. Johnson, Jr., 26 Nov. 1991, which was based on the assumption that the portrait was of Théophile Gautier. The painting was cleaned of extensive grime, a small hole repaired and the canvas relined by Conservator L. Cleo Mullins, whose report dated 19 April 19933 described the subject:

"man with long sideburns, wearing dark coat and white ruffled shirt seated in red upholstered French armchair – left arm leaning against books on table with papers and inkwell –greenish-brown background with window and red drapery at right – c. 1840. Value vague as artist unknown as yet.”

Compare the image of a composed, serene gentleman with the portrait of Théophile shown below. In a description of Théophile at about the same period, George Edward Bateman Saintsbury wrote that in France Théophile formed a minor romantic clique of poets and painters “who were distinguished for a time by the most extravagant eccentricity. A flaming crimson waistcoat and a great mass of waving hair were the outward signs, which qualified Gautier for a chief rank among the enthusiastic devotees. . . . In Gautier’s case these freaks were not inconsistent with real genius and real devotion to sound ideals of literature.”4 In tribute when Gautier died in 1872 Victor Hugo wrote “Ce grande poète, ce grand artiste, cet admirable coeur, le voilà donc parti!”

The painting was first offered to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and examined by them for a connection in America with Théophile Gautier. After due consideration and study, the Met declined the offer of the gift, and the donors then offered the portrait to the Society.

Biographical information on Théophile showed that he had two daughters, Mme. Judith Gautier, herself a writer of distinction and the wife of Catulle Mendès. The younger daughter, Estelle, was married to E. Bergerat,who wrote in 1879 a biography of his father-in-law.5 Théophile’s dates of 1811-1872 are too late to qualify him as a direct ancestor of the New York family. If there is some distant collateral connection, it has not been documented.

Genealogy can be very useful in establishing the provenance of a painting, as in this case. A partially documented account of the Gautier family was included in the tribute to John Stagg Gautier by our first President, Dr. Stiles, published in the Record in 1872. Some early Gautier Bible records in the NYG&B Library’s Manuscript collection invited further research. The lineage of part of the family has been developed and may be published at a later time.

In summary, the direct line of descent of Dr. Thomas Brown Gautier from the first Huguenot ancestor is as follows:

  1. Jacques Gautier, a French Huguenot of Saint Blancard, Province Languedoc, came to America after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. He and his family were members of L’Eglise du St. Esprit of N.Y.C.
  2. Daniel Gautier, b. 1689, m. Marie Bogart 1716; his will drawn 1739, proved 1747.
  3. Andrew Gautier, b. 1720, m. (1) Elizabeth Crossfield, (2) Margaret Hastier; he d. 1784. He was credited with helping save the steeple of Trinity Church in the fire of 1750 which totally destroyed the New Free School of Trinity Church, adjacent to the church. In appreciation Trinity gave him a silver bowl made by the New York silversmith Adrian Bancker which carried a descriptive engraving of the fire. He was also given half a burial vault in Trinity Churchyard. Many of the family are buried there. His will leaves the bowl to his oldest son, Andrew.6 The bowl is on anonymous loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
  4. Andrew Gautier, b. 1755, m. (1) Mary Ten Eyck Brown 1772, (2) Hannah Turner 1784; he d. 1802, N.Y.C.
  5. Thomas Gautier, b.1774, m. Elizabeth Dickson Leary; he d. 1802, age 28, late of Bergen Co., N.J., and had three children:

    i. Thomas Brown Gautier, b. 1797.
    ii. Helen Dickson Gautier, b. 1799.
    iii. Samuel Ten Eyck Gautier, b. 1800.

These three siblings are all part of the rest of the story. Although the provenance of the painting cannot be documented in each generation, the portrait clearly remained in possession of members of the family down to the present time.

5.i. THOMAS BROWN GAUTIER (1797-1850); graduate of College of Physicians & Surgeons, N.Y.C., M.D. degree 1823, and honorary M.D. from Rutgers College in 1831. He m. (1) Elizabeth Hornblower in 1816 and had eight children. He m. (2) Caroline Matilda Taylor in 1845 and had one daughter. He was a prominent physician in Jersey City for many years, died intestate and is the subject of the portrait. Unfortunately no reference to a portrait was found in the inventory of his estate. As noted below, he is the uncle of John Stagg Gautier.

At some time either before or after Dr. Gautier’s death the portrait reached his sister or her descendants:

5.ii. HELEN DICKSON GAUTIER (1799-1874) m. Dr. Robert French. Their son, ROBERT SUMMERFIELD FRENCH (1827-1883), was the father of ELISE GAUTIER FRENCH (1865-1938) who m. William Lowe Rice. They were the parents of four daughters including Mildred Gautier Rice and Helen Lowe Rice.

MILDRED GAUTIER RICE (1891-1971) was the wife of Francesco A. Zara at the time of her will in 1964 in which she made a bequest of the portrait to her sister Helen Lowe Rice, then wife of Porter Lawrence Willett.

HELEN LOWE RICE (1904-1977) m. (1) Haley Fiske Jr. in 1924 and they later divorced. Her daughter PHYLLIS GAUTIER FISKE (Mrs. Rodney W. Smith) received the portrait from her mother and has owned it until her bequest in 2004 to the Society. Her two sons are Lawrence and Winthrop Smith.

5.iii. SAMUEL TEN EYCK GAUTIER (1800-1872) m. Hannah Augusta Stagg 1822. They had twelve children, including JOHN STAGG GAUTIER (4th son and 10th child), b. 1839, m. Abbie Cushman 1862. He d. 1871 of lung disease, after which his widow moved to New Bedford, Mass., with their only child, Abbie Cushman Gautier, to live with her parents. During his brief association with the Society John Stagg Gautier made a great contribution in recognizing the importance of genealogical scholarship and its proper publication. As the President, Dr. Henry Reed Stiles said, “Again I repeat, the Record is his monument.”7

A lengthy obituary for Dr. Gautier published in the Daily Telegraph of Jersey City on April 13, 1850, signed AMICUS, gives a picture of a skilled physician and widely respected citizen:

Died, on the 11th of April, very suddenly, of congestion of the brain, Dr. T. B Gautier, in the 53rd year of his age. The writer . . . never before witnessed a deeper feeling of regret and interest, in regard to the death of a deceased citizen, manifested than on this occasion . . . . Scarcely could there be found a single family in this now considerably populous place that had not sometime or other often experienced the medical skill, together with the consoling and comforting soothings which he was so well calculated to impart . . . . He was also well known and appreciated as a professional man by all the eminent practitioners of our neighboring city of New York.

. . . He was devotedly attached to the Episcopal Church in this place, and it owes much to his liberality, especially in regard to its edifice, for a house of prayer, and indeed for its present prosperity. But his charity and benevolence was of a more expansive character, both in visiting the sick and destitute of every description. He made no difference when the calls of the poor and afflicted required his aid, but cheerfully acted without fee or reward.8

  1. Henry R. Stiles, “In Memoriam John S. Gautier,” NYG&B Record 3 (1872):1–9. See also David L. Greene, “The Founding of The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record,” Record 126 (1995):3-11.
  2. Last will of Mildred Gautier Zara, 30 Dec. 1964, N.Y.C.: “I give and bequeath my paintings, portraits and family photographs as follows: 1. To my sister, Helen Lowe Willet, the portrait of my mother and the portrait of our French ancestor, Theophile Gautier.” She d. 7 Nov. 1971. New York County Surrogate’s Court, Manhattan, Probate Petition #7043/1971; decree admitted 2 Dec. 1971, recorded Liber 401 p. 67-2.
  3. Lorraine Brevig of the Richmond Conservation Studio kindly sent the full report to me at NYG&B by FAX on 18 Jan. 2005 and it is in the Gautier portrait file.
  4. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1963 ed., 10:77.
  5. Ibid.
  6. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Dec. 1950, pp. 118-120.
  7. Record 3:8. Sources examined for this genealogical summary include those cited in the text and: Gautier family Bible records in NYG&B Library manuscript file; numerous entries for this socially prominent family in the New York Times; Federal Census records for New York, New Jersey and Ohio; probate records; Charles H. Winfield, History of the County of Hudson, New Jersey (New York: Kennard & Hay, 1874), pp. 549-55; Edward French Warren, We Live Forever – a genealogical study of 13 generations over a 400 year period 1570-1980 (Hilton Head Island, S.C.: the author, 1987). Full citations are available from the author.
  8. Bruce Brandt of the New Jersey Room of the Jersey City Public Library kindly located this Obituary.

 

by Carolyn G. Stifel, Curator

© 2011 The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society

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