PORTRAIT OF A GENTLEMAN, PROBABLY COMMODORE OLIVER HAZARD PERRY

A great-grandson of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry (1785-1819) and also a lineal descendant of Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Franklin Pepper (1879-1918) is thought to have collected portraits and memorabilia associated with his famous ancestors. The portrait offered here was almost certainly acquired as a likeness of Commodore Perry and the facial structure, full head of curly hair and noticeable sideburns closely resemble the features seen in the many known portrayals of "the Hero of Lake Erie." Perry is usually depicted wearing his naval uniform, but the civilian clothes seen here are also seen on works such as John Wesley Jarvis's portrait of Perry now in the collections of the Army and Navy Club, Washington D.C. (acc. no. 2016.01).

The 1838 marriage of Benjamin Franklin Pepper's maternal grandparents, Christopher Grant Perry (1812-1854) and Frances Muriel Sergeant (Sargeant/ Sargent) (1817-1903), united direct descendants of Commodore Perry and Benjamin Franklin. He was the eldest son of Perry, while she was a great-granddaughter of Franklin. For the last century, the portrait has descended directly in the family, along with lots 479-484 in this sale, and is being sold by Commodore Perry's great (x 4) grandchildren.