Portrait of Elias Hasket Derby, 1800-1825 Peabody Essex Museum James Frothingham (1786-1864) Salem in History, 2006 Eldredge Print Portrait of Elias Hasket Derby, c. 1800-1925 James Frothingham (1786-1864) Boston Oil on canvas Gift of the Derby Family M353 H I S T O R I C A L C O N T E X T This is a posthumous portrait of Elias Hasket Derby (1739-1799), who was born into a family of seamen and merchants in Salem, MA. By making shrewd and bold business decisions during the years of the American Revolution (1776-1784) and the early Federal period, Derby became America’s first millionaire. At the out- break of the Revolution, Derby owned a fleet of seven vessels, but four were quickly captured by the British. A staunch patriot, Derby gave money and supplies to the Continental army and converted his remaining three ships to privateers. This status allowed ship owners to arm vessels and to attack ships from a country desig- nated as the enemy. In return, privateer owners received a share of the cargo taken, and the government claimed the rest. As the owner of privateers, Derby increased his fleet to 85 vessels that captured 144 enemy ships. Following the war, American merchants were eager to enter into the lucrative China trade, which the British denied its American colonies. Derby was at the forefront of this economic opportunity; he sent the first New England ship, the Grand Turk, to China. Though he never went to sea, Elias Hasket Derby amassed one of the largest maritime fortunes in America. A R T H I S T O R I C A L C O N T E X T Bostonian James Frothingham began his artistic career as a portraitist in the Boston and Salem region, and was influenced heavily by painter and mentor Gilbert Stuart, who possessed a swift, freely brushed style of portrai- ture. Here, Frothingham depicts Elias Hasket Derby as successful at home as well as at sea. References to his maritime ties are represented by the maps on the desk and by the seascape through the adjacent window. This portrait is painted in the tradition of the time, with somber colors, a formal, stiff pose and, and abstract drapes positioned behind the subject. Derby is shown as a master of his environment, a fitting commemoration for an important and influential man. SAMPLE GUIDING QUESTIONS • What objects do you see in this painting? If these objects all belong to Derby, what might they suggest about him? What might his profession be? • How important was this profession during the years following the Revolutionary War? Why? • When was this portrait painted? At what point in his life do we see Derby? Does he appear to be young, middle-aged, or old? • Why do people want to have portraits? Why do you think Derby’s portrait was painted? • What does this portrait tell us about the importance of China Trade entrepreneurs to the people in the early Federal period? SUGGESTED LEARNING ACTIVITIES • Ask students to make a chart of objects in this painting, and in the second column, brainstorm how the objects relate to the main in the painting. • Compare this portrait with that of William Pepperell. How does each artist suggest that the subject is a successful man in the 18th century? How are the men depicted as successful in different ways? • Compare this portrait with that of a successful entrepreneur today. What does each suggest about the subject and society’s values? • Ask students to work in pairs and create portraits of each other. Include “props” or images, objects, etc. that help to tell viewers something about the subject. 2003 Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks: 3.5, 5.32, USI.1, USI. 5 Peabody Essex Museum Salem in History 2006.