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![]() RUFUS PUTNAM 1737-1824 James Sharples Sr., from life, 1796-1797 Oil on canvas. H 9, W 7 in (H 22.9, W 17.8 cm) Independence NHP INDE 11914 |
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About this Portrait: British pastelist James Sharples Sr. (1751-1811) apparently drew Putnam's portrait when both men lived in the federal capital of Philadelphia during 1796 and 1797. The artist depicted his subject in uniform. Putnam wears a green sash to indicate his rank as colonel, his status for most of the Revolution. At the time the portrait was drawn, he apparently regarded this Revolutionary rank as his most significant military service. He had been promoted to brigadier general in late 1783, and had served in this capacity during the Ohio Valley Native American wars. Putnam's reputation was overshadowed by his contemporaries. George Washington remarked, he is but little known out of his own state, and a narrow circle. This obscurity may explain the omission of Putnam's name from the catalog of portraits that Sharples published in 1802 on returning to England after his first American painting trip. Sometime after Sharples completed Putnam's portrait, someone drew and pasted a brigadier general's one-star epaulette onto Putnam's left shoulder. A rendering of the Society of the Cincinnati eagle [medal on blue and white ribbon hanging from his left lapel] was added to the portrait in the same way. Possibly, the artist (or a member of his artist family) decided that these changes increased the Putnam's public appeal, making the portrait a better attraction to potential clients.
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