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Preview image of work. oil on canvas,  Portrait of Reverend Daniel Little 523
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1898.23

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Portrait of Reverend Daniel Little

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Artist

[attributed to John Brewster, Jr.]

Title

Portrait of Reverend Daniel Little

Creation Date

1796-1801

Century

late 18th-early 19th century

Dimensions

25 in. x 21 3/8 in. (63.5 cm x 54.29 cm)

Object Type

painting

Creation Place

North America, United States

Medium and Support

oil on canvas

Credit Line

Gift of Professor William A. Moody, Class of 1882

Copyright

Public Domain

Accession Number

1898.23

Deaf and mute from birth, John Brewster Jr. was the son of a Connecticut doctor who encouraged him to learn to read and write. Exhibiting a natural talent for painting, Brewster was professionally trained, and his earliest portraits reflect the style of prominent Connecticut artists. Beginning in 1796 Brewster often lived with his brother, Royal, and sister-in-law, Dorcas Coffin Brewster, in what is today Buxton, Maine, and his compelling likenesses of many southern Maine residents survive. Brewster likely secured this commission for the Reverend Daniel Little (1724–1801) of nearby Wells through Paul Coffin, Dorcas’s father and pastor of Buxton’s Congregational Church. Little’s direct gaze and sharp features convey his forthright character. A learned Congregational minister, Little was recognized for his mission to the Wabanaki for whom he compiled a dictionary. However, his work focused on creating a more effective way to convert Wabanaki people to Christianity rather than to document their language and culture.

Keywords: portraits