Augustus Schwartze, Founder of the Union Manufacturing Co, Baltimore C. 1810-20

Details

Description

Portrait of Augustus Schwartze, Founder of the Union Manufacturing Company, Baltimore, Maryland
American School, c. 1810–1820

This striking early 19th-century … Read more Portrait of Augustus Schwartze, Founder of the Union Manufacturing Company, Baltimore, Maryland
American School, c. 1810–1820

This striking early 19th-century American portrait depicts Augustus Schwartze (1785–1844), prominent Baltimore industrialist and founder of the Union Manufacturing Company, one of Maryland’s earliest and most important textile mills. Executed in oil on canvas and attributed to an unidentified yet accomplished hand within the American Federal portrait tradition, the painting presents Schwartze in a classic half-length pose, seated with quiet confidence. He is shown wearing a navy wool double-breasted tailcoat fastened with six bright gilt buttons, a golden waistcoat, and a crisply knotted white cravat—all hallmarks of early Federal-period masculine dress.

The artist renders Schwartze’s features with exceptional clarity and precision: his ruddy complexion, full mutton-chop sideburns, and softly parted lips are sensitively modeled with particular attention to the warm flesh tones and delicate handling of light. His right hand rests upon the curved crest rail of a chair, grounding the composition while offering a glimpse of the sitter’s affluence and poise. The neutral-toned background, subtly feathered from ochre to cool grey-green, ensures that all focus remains on the sitter’s expressive gaze and sartorial dignity.

The work has been professionally conserved and laid to board, with an archival backing and secured mounts. It resides in an early to mid-19th century giltwood frame (c. 1840–1850) with carved floral corner ornaments, possibly enlarged or modified by a later skilled artisan to accommodate the canvas. Conservation reports from Olive Bros., Inc. (1996) and an appraisal by James B. Hand Fine Art (1995)—both of which accompany the painting—describe the piece’s structure, condition, and historical importance, noting the strong vertical weave of the original linen canvas and areas of minor infill and inpainting consistent with age.

The portrait serves as a rare and well-preserved visual document of one of Baltimore’s key early manufacturers, providing a vital link between portraiture, American industrial history, and the Federal-era aesthetic of refinement and rising civic ambition.

Dimensions:
Canvas: 24.5" H x 30" W
Frame: 34.75" H x 40" W See less