Benjamin Greenleaf (January 13, 1769 - January 10, 1821) was an American portraitist, active throughout New England during his career. Greenleaf was born in

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, son of Mary and John Greenleaf; long identified with the educator of the same name, he was established as a different individual in 1981. On November 20, 1799, he married Abigail Greenleaf Rhoades (sometimes given as Rhodes) of Dorchester in that state. Four years later he produced his earliest known portrait, that of his great-uncle Jacob Goold, a resident of Weymouth. This work is in oil on canvas mounted on board, the medium in which his earliest paintings were created. He was active at least until 1818, and is known to have traveled extensively throughout New England, particularly the vicinity of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

; he is also traced in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, in the communities of

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

and Hopkinton, and in the

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

towns of

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, Phippsburg,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, and

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. A diary entry from Samuel Adams of Bath, dated 1816, suggests that he might have received lodging in at least partial exchange for his painting, and he is known to have been active there the following year as well. Little is known about his business transactions; his career has been documented mainly using the paper labels affixed to the backs of his portraits. Greenleaf died of apoplexy in Weymouth in 1821. Besides oil on canvas, Greenleaf favored the technique of

reverse glass painting Reverse painting on glass is an art form consisting of applying paint to a piece of glass and then viewing the image by turning the glass over and looking through the glass at the image. Another term used to refer to the art of cold painting and g ...

, and the majority of his fifty-six documented works are in this medium. Frequently he depicted his sitters in profile, but occasionally he used three-quarter view in his works. Many of his subjects were related through marriage or otherwise acquainted, and he appears to have worked mainly within a small circle. Two portraits, one each on canvas and on glass, are owned by the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...

. A pair of portraits attributed to him are held by the American Folk Art Museum. An 1820 likeness of Joseph Wiggins is in the collection of the

Minneapolis Institute of Arts The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an arts museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Home to more than 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, Mia is one of the largest art museums in the United State ...

. The

Boston Medical Library The Boston Medical Library (est. 1875) of Boston, Massachusetts, was originally organized to alleviate the problem that had emerged due to the scattered distribution of medical texts throughout the city. It has evolved into the "largest academic ...

owns a portrait of Cotton Tufts. A self-portrait is also recorded, in a private collection.

References

1769 births 1821 deaths 19th-century American painters 19th-century American male artists American male painters People from Hull, Massachusetts Painters from Massachusetts American portrait painters Naïve painters {{US-painter-stub