Isaac Hutton (before July 20, 1766 – 8 Sep 1855) was an American

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exactly synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product may vary great ...

and engraver, active in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

. Hutton was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to George and Anna Viele Hutton, and on July 20, 1766, was baptized into the Dutch Reformed Church. He moved to Albany in the 1780s, where he was probably apprenticed to silversmith John Folsom, with whom he partnered from 1787 to 1790 as FOLSOM & HUTTON. In 1791 he purchased property for his house and shop at 32 Market Street. In 1794 he engraved the Plan of the City of Albany, and in 1798 profiles of members of the House of Assembly. From February 1796 to 1817 he was in partnership with his brother, George Hutton, as I & G HUTTON, and on September 30, 1796, advertised in ''The Albany Gazette'': "Three Silver Smiths, May have constant employ in a very shop, and prompt pay, by application immediately to I. & G. HUTTON, No 32, Market Street." They created the seal for

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

, in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, for which they were paid in November 1796. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, the Huttons sold silver and other items for military use, including silver accoutrements and fittings,

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

, regimental drums, and even

pianoforte The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

s, and sheep wool. Hutton was an active citizen in Albany. In 1791 he was a member of a fire company, in 1793 was a founding member and treasurer of Albany Mechanics Society, in 1811 served as a founding director of the Mechanics & Farmers Bank, and in 1813 was named president of the bank's board, in which he served until 1817. He was also a director of the Albany Water Works and a founder of the Albany Female Academy. Hutton went bankrupt in 1817 due to speculation in a venture to manufacture cotton goods, and left Albany after a sheriff's sale in 1819. He was listed in census records in 1850 and 1855 as a resident of

Stuyvesant, New York Stuyvesant () is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 1,931 at the 2020 census,US Census Bureau, 2020 Census Report, Stuyvesant town, Columbia County, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchTy ...

, and died in Stuyvesant Landing. His work is collected in the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

New York State Museum The New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and towards the New York State Capitol. ...

Albany Institute of History and Art The Albany Institute of History & Art (AIHA) is a museum in Albany, New York, United States, "dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting and promoting interest in the history, art, and culture of Albany and the Upper Hudson Valley region". ...

, and the

Clark Art Institute The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, commonly referred to as the Clark, is an art museum and research institution located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. Its collection consists of European and American paintings, sculp ...

References

Isaac Hutton by Stefan Bielinski

.
"Isaac Hutton"
Albany Hall of Fame. * ''Albany Institute of History & Art: 200 Years of Collecting'', Albany Institute of History and Art, SUNY Press, 1998, page 72.

American Silversmiths. * ''American Silver-Hilted, Revolutionary and Early Federal Swords, Volume II: According to Their Geographical Areas of Mounting'', Daniel D. Hartzler, Xlibris Corporation, 2015. * ''The American Sword, 1775–1945'', Harold Leslie Peterson, Courier Corporation, 2003, page 318. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hutton, Isaac American silversmiths 1855 deaths Artists from New York City Artists from Albany, New York