PAIR OF "BROCK FAMILY ARTIST" (MADISON CO., VIRGINIA) FOLK ART MINIATURE PORTRAITS, watercolor and ink on paper, each a profile depiction within a vibrant blue circular reserve, he wearing dark blue suit with brass buttons and ruffled white collar, holding a bow and arrow in his left hand, she wearing high-waisted Empire-style gown, coral necklace, and black comb, each with period ink inscription in lower margin identifying sitter, hers clipped and now absent, his marked "Joshua Wesley Fry". Each retains an old molded-wood frame with reverse-painted glass. Circa 1810. Joshua Fry 5 1/2" x 4 3/4" OA.
Provenance: From a Virginia private collection.
Acquired from Bernard Caperton of Charlottesville, VA in the mid 20th century.
Catalogue Note: The discovery of the Brock family watercolor miniature profile portraits by Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates in 2020 sheds new light on an as-yet unidentified itinerant portraitist working during the first decades of the 19th century, primarily in the northern piedmont region of the Virginia backcountry. We have documented 20 works attributable to this hand, peaking interest in the identity of the artist and the lives of his sitters. In addition to the eight Brock Family portraits, there are at present four examples recorded in the MESDA object database (this tally includes the presently offered pair of Fry children) by the artist and eight others in private collections, two of which were sold by Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates. While the artist's identity remains unknown, the continued appearance of these distinctive watercolor profiles adds a new dimension to the story while more generally enhancing our understanding of the role of art and portraiture in the lives of rural middle-class Virginians in the early years of the Republic.
The profile portrait, as an art form that touched all socioeconomic levels in the United States, was at its peak of popularity during the first half of the 19th century. Given the deeply-rooted cultural appetite for all things Classical during the formative years of the American republic, it is no surprise that the profile portrait (a common Classical device employed in coinage, architectural ornament, and other decorative arts in Ancient times) became an important part of the national aesthetic during the Federal period. Additionally, the invention of mechanical devices, such as the physiognotrace, that facilitated production and enhanced verisimilitude, as well as widespread interest in the pseudo-science of physiognomy, played a vital role in the rise of profile art in early America. From the depiction of Liberty on silver coinage, to the portrait engravings of well-known individuals by St. Memin, to the significant number of silhouettes produced during this period, it is clear that the profile as a distinct genre had permeated the popular imagination to a substantial degree in Federal America. It is no surprise then, that many of the patrons of backcountry portraiture from the early 19th century elected to have a profile likeness taken of themselves, rather than a traditional frontal view. Indeed, the demand for profile portraiture amongst the middle class was great enough in the early decades of the 19th century to spur a new generation of itinerant folk artists to travel the countryside in pursuit of commissions (think of William Weaver, Francis Cezeron, Jasper Miles, Silon Henkel, and Rufus Porter, to name just a few). With smaller, lightweight materials to transport, mechanical devices to aid in the work, and a whole new class of customers eager for profile likenesses, these new artists thrived in America's rural areas.
Wesley Thornton Fry (1779-1863), the father of the children depicted in the present portraits, was just such an eager customer. Around 1810, Fry commissioned this unknown profile artist to take likenesses of his children (and likely the entire family). Joshua Wesley Fry (1806-1870), one of the subjects in the presently offered pair of miniature portraits, was a life-long Madison Co., Virginia resident, who appears to have remained on the family farm. The female subject in the presently offered pair, designated as "Elizabeth Fry" in an old notation, was likely the older sister of Joshua (both from their father's first marriage) and has escaped the historical record, possibly the result of an early death. Joshua's father, Wesley Thornton Fry (1779-1863), owned a large plantation in Madison Co., Virginia. The 1860 Census records Fry with personal property holdings valued at $15,000 three years before his death.
The appearance of the present pair of watercolor profile portraits on the open market represents a rare opportunity to acquire two fresh-to-the-market examples of Southern backcountry family portraiture from the Federal period by an as-yet unidentified individual hand.

Each in good overall as-found estate condition with overall moderate toning. Minor fold lines and areas of discoloration. Losses to margins, heavier on Elizabeth. Joshua with old tape repair to lower margin verso at old fold line.