(British/America, 1751-1811)

Portrait of George Washington, pastel on paper, unsigned, partially legible inscription verso "D. D. jr(?)", 10 x 7-5/8 in.; reproduction gilt wood frame with period glass, 12-1/2 x 10-1/2 in.

Provenance: Miss Eleanor Sparks, Stockbridge, Massachusetts (per F.A.R.L. image), prior to 1939; Julius Weitzner, New York, NY (presumably, per inscription verso); Knoedler & Company, New York, NY (label verso); The Estate of Sylvia and Richard Garrett, Maryland

https://digitalcollections.frick.org/digico/#/details/ContainerID/b10981391/Photoarchive

Note: Bears unknown collection label verso, also inscribed in chalk verso "Weitzner". It is has been suggested that this is a reference to the world renowned art historian, dealer, and expert Julius Weitzner (1895-1986). With galleries in New York and London, Weitzner was known for his expertise in Old Master Paintings as well as American art, and is recorded as having sold to Knoedler Galleries, also listed in the provenance for this work.

An image of this pastel in the digital collection of the Frick Art Research Library lists the painting as "Collection of Miss Eleanor Sparks, Stockbridge. Massachusetts". Renowned George Washington scholar and one time President of Harvard College Jared Sparks (1789-1866) was the son of Eleanor (Orcutt) Sparks. The reference to "Miss" Sparks begs the question of whether a later descendant had been given the same name as Jared's mother. While it is not definite at this point whether the Eleanor Sparks mentioned in the Frick's database is related to Jared Sparks, the possibility is at the very least quite intriguing.