Justus DaLee (New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, c. 1826-1847) Three Miniature Portraits, c. 1835, of DaLees Family; and Seven

Description:

Justus DaLee (New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, c. 1826-1847)

Three Miniature Portraits, c. 1835, of DaLee's Family;and Seven Letters by Him, Chatauqua County, New York, 1837-71; and His Family Record of the DaLees and Demings.
The miniatures are watercolor, graphite, and ink half-length profiles of three seated persons in black and white attire: (A) Richard DaLee, younger brother to whom Justus wrote in one of the accompanying letters (See inscribed envelope "R.W. M. DA LEE Esq. Salem x Roads Chautauque (sic) Co. N.Y.") (B) A young woman with curls, Hannah Maria Minton DaLee who was married to Richard DaLee; and (C) A woman wearing a bonnet, Mehetable Demings DaLee, wife of John Kennicott DaLee, another brother of Justus DaLee, two are identified on the reverse in period script: (A) "R.M. DaLee Born October 18, 1809 Died May 6, 1868" (B) "H.M. DaLee" (C) "Mehetable Deming DaLee wife of John Kennicott DaLee Lucy Young's grandmother (this script of later origin). Sight sizes (A) 2 5/8 x 2, (B) 4 x 3 1/2, (C) 2 7/8 x 2 1/4 in., all are in original pine molded gilded frames. Condition: (C) The portrait of Mehetable includes some water stains.

In the seven letters written to his family and included in this lot: Justus DaLee writes about his family, his wife, and his children: Mary Ann, Amon, Cornelia, Almanzon, Harriet, William, and Albert Waterman who was called "Waterman," and about his life as a painter and the times in which he was living, his scarcity of money, and the difficulty to make a living as an artist as well as detailing the fact his work habits could not include painting at night since candle light was insufficient. Excerpted: "Troy, Dec. 17 1837, I am pursuing my daily avocation with all diligence and have generally as much as I can do-days short, weather cold...I labor under several disadvantages-the days as I before hinted are short. I cannot paint in evenings, neither can I paint steadily... on account of restless weary sensations produced by too long sitting; I find Amon assisted me greatly by painting the dresses...my price is 1/2 with frame and all... but many who are knowing to my doing them cheaper." "Meadville Nov. 30, 1841, My dear Wife: We have taken 30 miniatures in this place and not made one poor one...We should have done much better in this place if the days had been longer and times not quite so hard." He wrote also of the difficulty to be away from home which he had to do to find his painting commissions and of his efforts to find employment to supplement his income. He wrote of starting a grocery store and of trying to market a medicine made from a root. Other letters defined his spirituality, showed his strong faith and his gratitude to God for the gift of his artistic skills. His final letter written in 1871 to his daughter Maria, lamented his failing health; two additional letters are included in this lot, one by his brother Richard W. written to his sister Maria, in 1841, with an illustrated and calligraphic envelope, and lastly an 1841 letter addressing "My dear wife" and signed "H. M. DaLee" and "R. W. DaLee." Of the nine original letters in this lot, eight have been transcribed.

Provenance: The materials in this lot descended in the family of Justus DaLee to the consignor whose great-great-great-grandmother is Mehetable DaLee, portrait (C) the family tree showing the relationship of the consignor to Justus DaLee and his depicted relatives accompanies this lot. Other genealogical information may be found in the ink on paper Family Record by Justus DaLee. A family autograph book of late 19th century is included.

Note: Justus DaLee and his wife had ten children in Eden, Wisconsin. He was a musician in the War of 1812 and had a twenty-one year artistic career which included family records, as well as portrait miniatures. He titled himself "professor of penmanship" in an early sketchbook. Three of the letters in this lot show those penmanship skills. He also listed himself as a merchant. Publications referring to his work indicate that he was working in the Albany, New York area by the 1830s. In addition, he was in West Troy, New York, during the 1830s. He had started painting portraits regularly by 1835 when these miniatures are presumed to have been accomplished. He advertised himself as the "Side Portrait Painter." While publications write that he was in the habit of posing all single subjects facing left, this lot includes his brother Richard, depicted facing right. While his drawing of ears has been considered stylized, his details of costume, hairstyle, features and jewelry are personalized in his miniatures as may be seen in this lot.
Estimate $20,000-30,000

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