Bidspirit auction | PORTRAIT OF REV. JOSEPH THOMAS

PORTRAIT OF REV. JOSEPH THOMAS BY WILLIAM HILLYER, JR. (NEW YORK, 1815-1904) - Oil on canvas, signed and dated 1835 on the back. Half-lenghth portrait of a stern man, with long hair, and wearing a white suit. Period/original gilt frame. 26.25” high, 22” wide (sight); 33.25” high, 29” wide (overall). Reverend Joseph Thomas, also known as The White Pilgrim. Born in North Carolina in 1791, he moved to Madison County, Ohio in the 1820s. He spent much of his life traveling and preaching. He began wearing all white in 1814, earning him his nickname. He died in 1835 while in New York. It was during this trip that this portrait was painted by William Hillyer, a British-born artist who had just married and was painting portraits in New York. Condition: A couple of minor repairs, wear to frame, needs cleaned.