James Sullivan Lincoln (May 13, 1811 – January 18, 1888) was an American portrait painter based in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

. He has been called the "father of Rhode Island art" and the "father of art in Providence". His works include eleven portraits of

governors A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, displayed at the State House, and six portraits of mayors which hang in the

Providence City Hall Providence City Hall is the center of the municipal government in Providence, Rhode Island, and is located at the southwest end of Kennedy Plaza at 25 Dorrance Street. The building was constructed between 1875 and 1878 and designed by Samuel J. ...

Early life

James Sullivan Lincoln was born in

Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount ...

, to Sullivan and Keziah (Weston) Lincoln. He was the oldest of six children. His father was a miller and farmer. At age ten, the family moved to

. Lincoln's father died when James was fourteen. Needing to earn money to support the family, James went to work for an engraving company in downtown Providence. Lincoln's job was to make the drawings for the engravings; his skill at drawing caught the attention of nearby artist C.T. Hinckley, who trained the boy in the art of painting. Within two years, James was able to copy famous paintings such as

Gilbert Stuart Gilbert Charles Stuart ( Stewart; December 3, 1755 – July 9, 1828) was an American painter from Rhode Island Colony who is widely considered one of America's foremost portraitists. His best-known work is an unfinished portrait of George Washi ...

's portrait of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

, which hung in the

Rhode Island State House The Rhode Island State House, the capitol of the state of Rhode Island, is located at 900 Smith Street just below the crest of Smith Hill, on the border of downtown in Providence. It is a neoclassical building designed by McKim, Mead & White wh ...

Painting career

His painting career began in 1832. One of Lincoln's earliest clients (when he was age 25) was wealthy Pawtucket industrialist

Samuel Slater Samuel Slater (June 9, 1768 – April 21, 1835) was an early English-American industrialist known as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution" (a phrase coined by Andrew Jackson) and the "Father of the American Factory System". In the ...

, who had been dissatisfied with an earlier portrait by another painter. Lincoln's portrait proved so popular that he made several copies, including one for Brown University (deaccessioned in 1980). Lincoln's mentor Hinckley moved away from Providence, leaving the field open for his protege to open his own studio on South Main Street, in the heart of the city at

Market Square The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a Town square, square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world.Providence Art Club The Providence Art Club, Thomas Street, Providence, Rhode Island, was founded in 1880. An art club is an organization for artists and the community to engage and collaborate with each other in a shared space dedicated to art and culture. The P ...

Personal life

Lincoln married Rosina Child Chase, daughter of Darius and Elizabeth Chase. Rosina's parents moved from Providence to a farm in

Barrington, Rhode Island Barrington is a suburban, residential town in Bristol County, Rhode Island located approximately southeast of Providence. It was founded by Congregationalist separatists from Swansea, Massachusetts and incorporated in 1717. Barrington was ceded ...

shortly after the marriage, and for a time the young couple lived there with the Chases, with James commuting daily from Barrington to his Providence studio. In 1863 the Lincolns moved into the city of Providence. He enjoyed traveling around the state of Rhode Island, to pursue his pastime of trout fishing. He had a great love of nature, which sometimes worked its way into the backgrounds of his paintings. From about 1832 to 1856, Lincoln was a member of the Providence National Cadets, an "independent military organization". For two years he was a member of the

Rhode Island Militia The Rhode Island Army National Guard (RIARNG) is the land force militia for the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It operates under Title 10 and Title 32 of the United States Code and operates under the command of the state governor while not in fede ...

. He did not serve in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, but was active in training recruits during 1861 and 1862. Lincoln died in 1888 and is buried at

Swan Point Cemetery Swan Point Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Established in 1846 on a 60-acre (0.24 km2) plot of land, it has approximately 40,000 interments. History The cemetery was first organ ...

Awards and honors

* In 2004, Lincoln was posthumously inducted into the

Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame was established in the State of Rhode Island in 1965. Its mission statement states that the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame "exists to honor and recognize, and to extol and publicize the achievements of th ...

Gallery

Lincoln painted eleven portraits of governors which hang in the

, six portraits of mayors which hang in the

, plus numerous judges, lawyers, clergy, physicians, professors, industrialists, and others. File:GovJamesYSmithRI.jpg, Governor James Y. Smith File:ByronDiman.jpg, Governor

Byron Diman Byron Diman (August 5, 1795 – August 1, 1865) was an American politician who served as 19th Governor of Rhode Island. Diman was born in Bristol, Rhode Island, on August 5, 1795. He worked in a counting-house for over two decades. He was then ...

File:RI_Governor_Nehemiah_R_Knight_portrait.jpg, Governor

Nehemiah R. Knight Nehemiah Rice Knight (December 31, 1780April 18, 1854) was Governor of Rhode Island and United States Senator from Rhode Island. Born in Cranston, Rhode Island, Cranston, he attended the common schools. In 1802 he was a member of the Rhode Isla ...

File:RI Governor Elisha Dyer.jpg, Governor

Elisha Dyer Elisha Dyer (July 20, 1811 – May 17, 1890) was an American politician and the 25th Governor of Rhode Island. Early life Dyer was born in Providence, Rhode Island on July 20, 1811 to an old New England family which traced its Dyer ancestry ba ...

File:GovJamesFenner.jpg, Governor

James Fenner James Fenner (January 22, 1771April 17, 1846) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator as well as the 7th, 11th and 17th Governor of Rhode Island (on three occasions). He was the son of Arthur Fenner, the fourth governor ...

File:LemuelArnold.jpg, Governor

Lemuel H. Arnold Lemuel Hastings Arnold (January 29, 1792June 27, 1852) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A Whig, he served as the 12th Governor of the State of Rhode Island and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Early ...

File:William Channing Gibbs.jpg, Governor William C. Gibbs File:SethPadelford.jpg, Governor

Seth Padelford Seth Padelford (October 3, 1807 – August 26, 1878) was the 31st Governor of Rhode Island from 1869 to 1873. Biography Padelford was born in Taunton, Massachusetts. He worked as a grocer, as well as serving on the City Council of Providence ...

File:GovThomasGTurnerRI.jpg, Governor

Thomas G. Turner Thomas Goodwin Turner (October 24, 1810 – January 3, 1875) was an American politician and businessman who was the 26th Governor of Rhode Island from 1859 to 1860. Early life Turner was born in Warren, Rhode Island, Warren in Bristol County ...

File:Ambrose Burnside State House portrait.jpg, Governor

Ambrose Burnside Ambrose Everett Burnside (May 23, 1824 – September 13, 1881) was an American army officer and politician who became a senior Union general in the Civil War and three times Governor of Rhode Island, as well as being a successful inventor ...

File:RI Governor Elisha Harris.jpg, Governor Elisha Harris File:David Howell James Sullivan Lincoln.jpg, Statesman David Howell File:Thomas Poynton Ives.jpg, Merchant Thomas Poynton Ives, after an original by Chester Harding File:The Grosvenor Boys by James Sullivan Lincoln.jpg, The Grosvenor Boys

References

External links

Sullivan's portraits in the collection of Brown University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lincoln, James Sullivan People from Taunton, Massachusetts Artists from Providence, Rhode Island Burials at Swan Point Cemetery 1811 births 1888 deaths Painters from Rhode Island 19th-century American painters American male painters 19th-century American male artists