(NOTE: Portraits are listed by date of completion if known; if date unknown, portrait is listed at the end of this section. Use links to move between related sites within and beyond this website.)

Thomas Jefferson Marvin (1839) (Union College Collection)
(b. Malta, NY 26 June 1803, d. Havana, Cuba 29 Dec 1852. Graduated Union College class of 1824 or 1826 & then studied law; elected 1833 to Legislative Assembly & later served as a judge on the Saratoga County Court; served as Postmaster for Saratoga Springs during Tyler & Polk administrations; started first bank at Saratoga with brother, James M. Marvin, and in 1835 he procured the first charter in NY State for a fire insurance company upon the mutual plan; m. Harriet Fraser, 8 Feb 1837.)

James Merrill Cook (1840) (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(b. Ballston Spa, NY, 19 Nov 1807 - d. Saratoga Springs, NY, 12 Apr 1868; son of Judge Samuel Cook of Berkshire County, MA (apparently no relation to artist); financier; held a number of local offices; Democrat turned Whig (ca 1836); delegate to State Constitutional Convention of 1846; State Senator (1848-51, 1864-65), State Treasurer (1853), State Comptroller (1854-55), State Banking Department head (1856-61); withdrew his name for consideration as Republican governor of NY (1858); commissioner of the Rensselaer & Saratoga Railroad when chartered in 1832, a founder and president of Ballston Spa Bank, major general in State Militia; m. Elizabet (sp?) Ann Barnum (1809-1831) of Ballston Spa and distant relation to PT Barnum, 1829; second wife Anna Cady. This work marks a clear departure from the artist's early Canadian portraits: Flat "primitive" backgrounds give way to billowing clouds and a theatrical Greek column, simple clothing becomes formal gentleman's attire, complete with velvet lapels, walking stick and high hat; Cook shows off his increasing skill by foreshortening the inside of his subject's hat in foreground, but a Metropolitan Museum critic takes him to task for poor differentiation of textures and the "tubular quality" of his forms. Inscription on back, apparently added by conservator after lining, reads "Painted by Nelson Cook/Ballston Spa/1840")

Ann(a) Cady Cook (1840) (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(b. ca 1809 - d. 18 Feb 1860; only daughter of Shuler Cady and Catharine Phillips Cady of Florida, NY; second wife of James Merrill Cook, m. 1833 at 12th Street Presbyterian Church, NYC; mother of three children, spent her married life at home in Ballston Spa, NY. This painting and that of her husband were used to illustrate The Book of Costume by Millia Davenport (1948), which says that Anna's attire shows a "slight provincial time lag" in fashion, to be seen in her "neck and sleeves and coarse mesh net and lace morning dress. Hair looped above the line of the ears in the simplest way of the 30's. Good band of deep lace...has been pleated together in a fan to give it play." This companion piece to her husband's echoes the mood of the latter with a Greek column in the background, a bonnet in hand in the foreground; her attire is carefully detailed, "often a hallmark of the self-taught painter," says the Metropolitan Museum critic. Inscribed on the back by conservator after lining: "Painted by Nelson Cook/Ballston Spa/1840")

Little Dandy (1840) (Shelburne Museum, Vermont)
(Unidentified boy. Shown at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute in Utica in 1960 in an exhibit entitled "Art Across America" with other 19th-century artists, including Thomas Cole and John Singleton Copley, as well as modernists; the program from that exhibit reads: "Painted in Saratoga Springs..., this little boy with his fluffy dog is a very symbol of 19th-century elegance.")

Reuben Hyde Walworth (1840) (Historical Society of Saratoga Springs)
(b. Bozrah, CT, 26 Oct 1788, - d. Saratoga Springs, 27 Nov 1867; studied law under John Russell of Troy, NY; admitted to bar in 1809; opened law office in Plattsburgh in 1810, where he became a Master in Chancery; participated in War of 1812 as Adjutant General and as Division Judge Advocate; elected to US Congress, 1821-23; appointed 4th Circuit Judge by Gov. Yates, 1823; appointed (last New York) Chancellor 1828-1848; nominated 1844 for US Supreme Court by President Tyler, but, alienating Whig politico Thurlow Weed, was not confirmed; unsuccessful candidate for NY State Governor, 1848; President American Temperance Union (Walworth County, Wisconsin named to honor this work); VP American Bible Society; LL.D.: College of NJ (Princeton, 1835); Yale (1839); Harvard (1846). The Walworth family engaged the portrait services of Cook for some 18 years [see family members below].)

Courtesy Historical Society of Saratoga Springs, acc # W-70-13

Maria Ketchum Averill Walworth (1841) (Historical Society of Saratoga Springs)
(b. 31 Dec 1795, Plattsburgh, NY - d. 1847; eldest child of Nathan Averill, Jr., at one time in the transportation business and a Plattsburgh landowner, and Polly (Mary?) Ketchum Averill; m. Reuben, 16 Jan 1812, in Plattsburgh, NY; mother of six children. Portrait signed on verso "Painted by Nelson Cook. Saratoga Springs. 1841"; this and the portrait of her husband are located in the Walworth Museum, The Canfield Casino, Saratoga.)

Courtesy Historical Society of Saratoga Springs, acc # W-70-14

Unidentified Woman (1841?) (Location Unknown)
(Described as a full length portrait of a one-time resident of Saratoga; she wears a blue silk dress with blonde lace at wrists and neck and is described as having a "determined and reflective expression"; in urging readers to visit Cook's studio, the commentator refers to the painting as an "exquisite work of Art" suggesting "the near approach of Art to Nature." Noted in the Saratoga Whig, 25 May 1841.)

Judge Halsey Rogers (1843) (Private Collection?)
(b. 17 March 1783 - d. 29 June 1857; active Democratic politician (his right hand is on a book, Democratic Review, in this portrait); m. Deborah Wing (12 Dec 1782- 20 March 1856); lived in Moreau, Saratoga County, NY; parents of Mary Rogers (b. 1820). Unlike most of Cook's portraits [but see Millard Powers Fillmore], Judge Rogers is a full length pose, not sitting, with the painting measuring 6'2" tall by 3', yet even at that size The Frick Collection states that "a foot or so" has been cut from the height and width. The frontal pose, direct gaze, formal attire, skillful modeling, and deep background colors convey a sense of authority. [See Mrs. Esek Cowen.] )

Gentleman and Child (1843) (Location unknown)
(Noted by Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. A similar title and year was reported by SIRIS as held by C. G. Sloan & Co)

Portrait of a Lady (1843) (Location unknown)
(Noted by Historical Society of Saratoga Springs.)

Esek Cowen (1844) (Court of Appeals, Albany?)
(The first of two portraits of this noted jurist attributed to Cook; this one is signed, right below center; painted at Saratoga Springs. To view Cook's 1844 portrait of Cowen or a close copy of that portrait, click here. This portrait is displayed as one of dozens of prominent NY jurists in the strikingly handsome, paneled, Appeals courtroom; the portraits are of generally uniform sizes and framed by the paneling. Building records note that the painting was reduced somewhat, perhaps to make it the proper size; the artist's name on verso was cut to "N. O." say the records, although it is probable that the "C" in Cook was misread. Trimming the canvas might explain why this Cowen version lacks the breadth of background, including law books, found in the posthumous (?) copy (?) of 1847 held by the Connecticut Historical Society. [See below.])

The Honorable Henry Walton (1844) (Location unknown)
(b. 8 Oct 1768, New York City - d. 15 Sep 1844, New York City; born into a prominent colonial family, Walton was schooled in England, returning to New York for legal training, initially with Aaron Burr; moved to Ballston (Nelson Cook's hometown) in 1790 and became the county surrogate (1794-1808); moved between Albany and New York, but returned to Saratoga Springs ca 1820 and built a large home, "Wood Lawn," on a huge inherited tract of land; he practiced law, became one of the incorporators (1831) of the Saratoga & Schenectady Railroad Co. (directed to lay track through Ballston Spa), and excavated and "tubed" a number of the mineral springs for which Saratoga is known; active in the Episcopal Church, "Judge Walton" was buried in the family vault in Trinity Church yard, New York, apparently passing away soon after his portrait. Portrait noted by the Historical Society of Saratoga Springs.)

Ransom Cook (1844) (Location unknown)
(b. ca 1795 - d. 28 May 1881?, Saratoga Springs; apparently painted twice by his younger brother, Nelson. Known as a craftsman, inventor, and prison warden; came (from nearby Ballston?) to Saratoga Springs, then "mostly a piney grove," in 1813 as a journeyman furniture maker and over the years opened several shops in town where he made chairs, bedsteads, etc., often stenciled; served as town trustee for several years (1830s); said by the Chronicles of Saratoga to have made 21 significant inventions; worked with Thomas Davenport, inventor of an "electric motor;" commissioned by the State (1842) to survey mineral wealth in northern NY, and as a result recommended prison site in Clinton County (Dannemora) where prisoners could offset their cost by mining and manufacturing iron; appointed first warden (ca 1845-48), Cook built the prison with convict labor, utilized some of his own industrial inventions, and established Dannemora's industrial base; despite using electric shocks on disobedient convicts, Cook established a reputation as a reforming warden who removed shackles from prisoners and insisted they be treated kindly, alas, the ore ran out and the prison became a costly burden for the State; married daughter of Robert Ayres, associated with notorious Jane McCrea murder during Revolution; buried in Greenridge Cemetery, Saratoga, where he designed the unique, seashell-shaped family gravestone [see photo in the Nelson Cook Biography]. Portraits noted by the Historical Society of Saratoga Springs.)

James Harvey Hooker (1846) (Private Collection)
(b. ca 1787, Stillwater, Saratoga County, NY - d. 28 Dec 1851, Troy, NY; direct descendant of Thomas Hooker, a founder of Connecticut; merchant (and mill owner?) in Whitehall, NY, after War of 1812; moved to Troy ca 1820, joined firm of Pattison & Hart, freight forwarders; operator of Troy Tow-Boat Line and the Troy and Whitehall Towing Company, moving freight on the Erie, Oswego, and Champlain Canals, Lake Champlain, and the Hudson River, employing over 1300 workers, some 150 boats, and 1000 horses; interest in steamboats on the Great Lakes; property holder in and around Troy; buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Troy. The portrait is dark and needs cleaning; the paint is cracking as well.)

Rev James Bradford (1847) (Sheffield Historical Society)
(b. 11 Sep 1786/89?, Rowley, MA - d. 16 Dec 1858; son of the Rev Ebenezer Bradford and said to be related to William Bradford of Plymouth; graduated Dartmouth College 1811; studied theology with uncle, the Rev Moses D. Bradford of Francestown, NH; ordained Sheffield Congregational Church 13 Oct 1813, serving there as pastor for nearly 39 years; during his ministry the church added over 500 members through vigorous revivals, Bible classes, the addition of a Sunday School, and expansion of the church structure; in 1814 an epidemic raged through Sheffield and had taken 56 lives when, it is said, local people prayed through the day in Bradford's church and stemmed the plague. This portrait and that of Mrs. Bradford are large ones in excellent condition; they are housed in the Dan Raymond House of the Sheffield Historical Society, Sheffield, MA. Cook signed and dated this portrait on the reverse side, as was typical, but added the notation "pinxit," in Latin "he painted this," atypical for him.)

Courtesy of Sheffield (MA) Historical Society

Mrs. James (Margaret Flint) Bradford (1847) (Sheffield Historical Society)
(b. 30 Apr 1786 - d. 25 Feb 1855; daughter of Daniel Flint of Reading, MA; m. James Bradford 15 Nov 1813; she bore seven children, four sons and three daughters; they built a home on Main Street in Sheffield, MA, known today as Staveleigh House and operated as a bed and breakfast. In Cook's portrait Mrs. Bradford is clothed in a dark, austere dress, creating a dark painting; however, her face framed in lace is remarkably detailed [see image on right].)

Courtesy of Sheffield (MA) Historical Society

Esek Cowen (1847) (Connecticut Historical Society)
(b. Scituate, RI, 24 Feb 1787 - d. Albany, NY, 11 Feb 1844; grew up on family farm in Washington County, NY; admitted to the bar 1810; formed various law partnerships (Wissell Gansevoort; William Warren; Judiah Ellsworth); moved to Saratoga Springs in 1812; justice of the peace and town supervisor; appointed Circuit Judge (4th Circuit), 1828, to succeed Reuben H. Walworth, who had been appointed Chancellor; Associate Justice of the NY Supreme Court, 1836-1844; compiled several important legal treatises, one of which, Cowen and Hill's Notes, Vol I, is beside him in the portrait, along with Phillipp's Evidence; founded early temperance society; m. Betsey Berry Rogers (1811); it is said the Governor, both houses of the legislature "and a vast concourse of citizens" attended Cowen's funeral; buried Greenridge Cemetery, Saratoga Springs. Portrait attributed to Cook (relined with photos taken of original name (sig?)/Saratoga Springs and date of 1847); this date is three years after Cowen's death, perhaps explained as an error or a painting from a daguerreotype, but most likely a posthumous copy of Cowen's 1844 portrait. To view Cook's 1844 portrait of Cowen or a close copy of that portrait, click here.)

James G. Averill (?) (1848) (Private Collection)
(At one time identified as James K. Averill, the portrait is more likely that of his father, James Gill Averill, b. 28 May 1804, Flatbush, NY - d. 1881, b. Sand Lake Union Cemetery; son of Isaac and Hanna Miles Averill of Milford, CT; ca 1830 moved to Sand Lake, Rensselaer County, NY, and married Clarissa Sliter (Sluyter); town merchant and tavern keeper; may be best known locally for leading Memorial Day parades on Moscow, a Civil War horse now buried with his owner; son James Knox Averill (1846-1900), lawyer, land developer, and railroad promoter (Troy & New England Railway) along with his brother Horatio developed the town of Averill Park near Sand Lake. This portrait, signed "N. Cook" and dated on verso, was restored in the early 1990s; note the landscape background, realtively rare in Cook's portraits [see Millard Powers Fillmore].)

Lydia White Jones (1849) (Onondaga Historical Association)
(b. ca 1778 -d. 1859. Mother of Dr. Daniel T. Jones, mother-in-law of Eliza Jones)

Eliza Lawrence Jones (1849) (Onondaga Historical Association)
(b. 1812; oldest daughter of Judge James R. Lawrence; attended "The Hive," a Quaker school in Skaneateles, and the Homer Onondaga academies; later (1822) a member of her school's Alexandrian Society; graduated 1829 from the Hartford Female Seminary, CT; m. Dr. Daniel T. Jones (17 Aug 1800 - 29 Mar 1861); Daniel born in Hebron, CT, graduated from Yale (1826); he moved to Amboy, NY, to practice medicine, later to Baldwinsville, where he was an early Postmaster; elected to US House of Representatives as a Democrat (1850, 1852); Eliza and Daniel lived in Washington during his two terms; he was not renominated in 1854 and resumed practice of medicine in Baldwinsville; chaired Republican State Convention in Syracuse (1858); Daniel died in Baldwinsville, buried Riverside Cemetery. [See Lydia Jones])

Millard Powers Fillmore, An American Sportsman (ca 1850) (Genesee Country Village and Museum, NY)
(b. 1828 - d. 1889; grew up in Buffalo; son of the President; lawyer & father's personal secretary in White House, 1850-53; attended Harvard. The brochure of the Museum indicates that this life-size (79X56.25") painting -- apparently oil on mattress ticking -- is an early instance of an American depicted as a sportsman, vs a "pioneer"; Fillmore leans on a double-barreled percussion cap shotgun; his powder horn is of a glass made in western New York, and he has a leather holder for two different kinds of shot; the background is said to be Point Gratiot at Dunkirk on the south shore of Lake Erie. This portrait, exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (Oct-Nov 1967), differs from most of the artist's known works in that the subject is placed in a landscape [but see James G. Averill] ; while the painting is not mentioned in the Cook correspondence in Saratoga or in the NY State Archives in Albany (unusual for Cook, since the subject's father was a known political figure), his letters do make it clear that he very much wanted to be a landscapist. In the early 1850s Cook was working in the Rochester /Buffalo area; Dunkirk is some 40 miles west of Buffalo.)

Courtesy of the John L. Wehle Gallery of Wildlife and Sporting Art, Genesee Country Village and Museum, acc #G. 79

Portrait of a Woman (1851) (Private Collection?)
(Noted by Smithsonian Institution Research Information System.)

Alexander Mann (1852) (Location unknown)
(Editor of Rochester American and member of a family of prominent Episcopal churchmen. This portrait was sent to the National Academy of Design, New York City, for exhibition.)

The Honorable Freeman Clarke (1852) (Rochester Historical Society)
(b. 22 March 1809, Troy, NY - d. 24 June 1887, Rochester, NY; son of Isaac and Elizabeth Clarke; went into business at 15 years old, became bank cashier in Albion, NY; m. Henrietta J. Ward (1833); moved to Rochester (1845) and became officer of numerous railroads, telegraph and financial institutions, including Clarke National Bank; delegate to Whig National Convention (1852), Vice President of first NY Republican Convention (1852); elected to House of Representatives (1863-65, 1871-75); appointed by Lincoln as Comptroller of the Currency (1865-67), during which time important financial legislation was enacted, including national banking system; returned to business career late in life; trustee of University of Rochester; buried Mt. Hope Cemetery, Rochester. Photographs exist of Clarke as an older man, sometimes with a beard; Cook's oval portrait, painted during the artist's stay in Rochester during the 1850s, shows a man with ample muttonchops and a youthful, cheery countenance.)

Courtesy of Rochester Historical Society, acc #1991.028.0001

Mrs. Freeman Clarke (Henrietta Jaquelina Ward) (1852) (Rochester Historical Society)
(b. 2 Oct 1814 - d. 30 Oct 1890; daughter of Dr. Levi Ward, land agent in New York for State of Connecticut (1810-), landholder, businessman; m. Freeman Clarke 1833; she was the mother of many children who were well-educated and well-traveled and became active in law and business; at least two children died young: Henry at age 7 (1848) and Elizabeth at 18 (1854); Henrietta is buried Mt. Hope Cemetery, Rochester. This handsome oval portrait is clearly a companion piece to her husband's.)

Courtesy of Rochester Historical Society, acc #1991.028.0002

Mrs. Nelson Shaw (1852) (Rochester Historical Society)

Courtesy of Rochester Historical Society, acc #1992.123

Anonymous Man (1852) (Rochester Historical Society)
(Could this be Alexander Mann, painted the same year?)

Professor Alverson of Genesee College (1852?) (Location unknown)
(James Lawrence Alverson?, AM, LLD, Professor of Mathematics at Genesee College, the forerunner of Syracuse University, from 1851 to 1869; earlier, teacher at Cazenovia College outside Syracuse, 1840-45; described by Rochester Daily Democrat (15 March 1852) as "a very excellent half-length portrait...." Noted by the Genesee Country Museum)

Gentleman from Pittsford (1852?) (Location unknown)
(The Rochester Daily Democrat (1 July 1852) said of this painting: "The portrait of 'a gentleman of Pittsford,' in Mr. Elder's window, is a very correct as well as artistic picture. Mr. Cook, the artist, is a worthy gentleman, industrious and pains-taking in his profession, and has few superiors as a portrait painter." Judge John C. Hulbert, another Cook subject, is almost certainly not this "gentleman": Although from Pittsford, VT, he was serving as Saratoga County Surrogate at this time, when Cook was in Rochester. The subject of this portrait is probably from the town of Pittsford, NY, just outside Rochester.)

John Avery Pitts (1853) (Location unknown)
(b. 2 June 1799, Clinton, ME - d. 1 July 1859, Buffalo, b. Mt. Hope Cemetery, Rochester; with his twin brother Hiram A. (d. 10 Sep 1860, Chicago) obtained an 1837 patent for the first horse-drawn threshing machine; manufacturing of the "Buffalo-Pitts Thresher" moved from Albany to Rochester to Springfield, OH; they also patented a "horsepower"(treadmill) and a chain pump; John received a medal at the Paris Exposition of 1855 for a thresher attachment which measured and registered the number of bushels bagged, and Hiram began his own firm to manufacture threshing machines in Chicago. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Pitts noted by the Historical Society of Saratoga Springs.)

Mrs. John Avery Pitts (1853) (Location unknown)
(Mary Jennings, b. 20 Oct 1801, North Wayne, ME - d. 15 Sep 1876, Buffalo. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Pitts noted by the Historical Society of Saratoga Springs.)

Morris H. Seligman (1853) (Rochester Historical Society)

Courtesy of Rochester Historical Society, acc #1991.000.0024

Jane Samuels Seligman (Mrs. Morris H. Seligman) (1853) (Rochester Historical Society)

Courtesy of Rochester Historical Society, acc #1991.000.0025

Charles Miller Williams/Boy with Hobby Horse/"Hobby Gray" (1854) (Rochester Historical Society)
(b. Apr 1851 - d. 1921; eldest son of Charles H. and grandson of Presbyterian Rev Comfort Williams, first settled clergyman in "Rochesterville" (ca 1818); Charles M. attended the local Free Academy, received an AB from the University of Rochester in 1871, was admitted to the bar in 1875, and became a prominent attorney; active member of the University's Board of Trustees, 1888-99, and a significant benefactor of the University and its library; a memorial prize is offered at the University each year in his and Mary Washington Williams (his wife's?) name for accomplishment in English. This unusual and striking portrait was apparently dubbed "Hobby Gray" when painted and caused something of a stir in Rochester. According to the Daily Union (2 May 1854): "There is a picture in Elder's window in the Arcade, which attracts considerable attention. It is a painting of a little boy standing beside his hobby-horse, neatly executed...." Apparently the original commission would bring Cook $110, but he told his brother Ransom that the little boy's mother suggested the father would raise the fee if the portrait were "elegant." "So," wrote Cook," I added a horse." The father was reluctant to increase the fee, however, which in the end apparently earned Cook $114; clearly bitter, Cook wrote that the painting was said to be the best oil "seen out of New York City -- and ... worth $200." [For more on this painting see A Closer Look.])

Courtesy of Rochester Historical Society, acc #1979.044.0003

Alice Chester (1854) (Location unknown)
(b. 5 May 1837, Ballston, NY - d. 12 Sep 1884, Montreal; eldest daughter of Albert Tracy Chester and Rhoda Elizabeth Stanley Chester; the Rev Chester, like Cook from the Ballston area, was a prominent churchman in Buffalo; he also wrote poetry, published in at least one prominent magazine, Godey's; he apparently maintained his ties with the Saratoga area and named his youngest son Walworth. Cook's letters indicate he and the Rev met socially in Buffalo, where some of Chester's friends suggested that a gift of a portrait would help introduce Cook to "the wealthiest class." Although in debt, critical of the clergy, perhaps jealous of Chester's success with his poems, and loath to give up a $50 fee, Cook painted a head or bust of Chester's eldest and gave it to the family; he later heard that the Chesters did not approve of the portrait, had it sent to him, and refused to return it to Chester though the churchman "wants it wonderfully now." The portrait was begun in Buffalo that summer and finished in Rochester; the final disposition of the painting (i.e., destroyed? returned?) is unknown.)

N. P. Stewart (?) (1854) (Location unknown)
(In a letter to Ransom from Rochester dated 13 Aug 1854, Cook mentions that he has worked on a bust of "Mr. Stewart," president of the Detroit and Pontiac Railway, for which he should earn $50. This is probably N. P. Stewart, about whom little is known but who held that position with the D&P in 1853. In the early 1850s the railroad was working to extend its reach across Michigan, move to heavier gauge rails, and develop a depot in central Detroit and tracks along the riverfront. President Stewart negotiated the purchase of land for the latter and may have been active with all these projects. Cook's letter suggests he may have also painted Mrs. Stewart [nee Baines?] at this time.)

Mrs. Ide (1854?) (Location unknown)
(In a letter to Ransom dated 13 Aug 1854 and written in Rochester, Cook mentions that he is working on a portrait, a "bust," of Mrs. Ide of Newburgh, NY, and that her husband is "in company with Carson" making paper; he also mentions the $50 he expects from this work. It is possible that Mrs. Ide had come to Rochester from Newburgh as the wife of Erastus Ide, whose name appears in Rochester newspapers of the time. The Newburgh, NY, City Directory also lists an Erastus Ide after 1868; he apparently ran a paper mill in nearby Modena, NY. The disposition of this portrait, if it exists, is unknown.)

Mrs. Naramore (1855) (Canton Museum of Art, OH)
(May be Lucy Jones Naramore (?), b. 1825, Union County, PA - d. 1858. Married in 1848 to Hon. Willard Parker Naramore (1824-1910), a respected physician, preacher, financier, and politician from Seneca County, NY; eventually moved to Illinois after getting his education in Ohio.)

From the Permanent Collection of the Canton Museum of Art, acc #75.78

Nelson Cook Self-Portrait (?) (1856) (Rochester Historical Society)
(This portrait is signed "Nelson Cook" on verso, as was his custom for most of the portraits he painted; there is also a label on the lower stretcher bar stating that it is a self-portrait. However, at this time there is no independent confirmation (ie, letter, diary, article, etc.) that Cook ever did this self-portrait (see the 1832 self-portrait), and the Rochester Historical Society makes no definitive claim that it is, in fact, Nelson Cook. The label could have been added later by one who, for reasons unknown, simply assumed it was a self-portrait. A comparison of this portrait to the artist's photograph [below, right], apparently taken just three years before the painting, suggests similarities and differences: Could the "self-portrait" actually be of Nelson's brother Ransom [see portraits above and below] -- several were done with locations unknown. Or perhaps the "self-portrait" might be better labeled "Unidentified Man." Visitors to this website are invited to make their own visual comparisons; let us know what you think.)

Portrait courtesy of Rochester Historical Society, #1980.000.0043
Photo courtesy of H. A. Eastman

George Clarkson (1856) (Rochester Historical Society)
(Elected Mayor of Rochester, 1873.)

Courtesy of Rochester Historical Society, #1994.350.0001

Mary Parsells Clarkson (Mrs. George Clarkson) (1856) (Rochester Historical Society)
(Wife of George Clarkson.)

Courtesy of Rochester Historical Society, #1994.350.0002

Portrait of a Gentleman (1856) (Location unknown)
(Noted by Historical Society of Saratoga Springs. Could this be Edward Wamsley?)

Edward Wamsley (?) (1856) (Location unknown)
(Mentioned as Portrait of a Gentleman in record of National Academy of Design Exhibition, 1860 (?). Cook suggests in letter from New York City in May, 1860, that he is to do a portrait of a "Mrs. Wamsley.")

Dr. Samuel Freeman (1857) (Private collection?)
(b. 14 Feb 1790, Hanover, NH? - d. 19 Dec 1870; son of Jonathan and Sarah Huntington Freeman; moved to Saratoga Springs from Ballston Spa in 1840; served as a Whig elector in the presidential election of 1848, casting his vote for the Taylor/Fillmore ticket; elected mayor of Saratoga Springs (1865); m. Helen Woodruff of Albany (21 May 1817); a daughter Helen, also a Cook sitter, married the prominent Presbyterian, Rev. John Woodbridge; it appears another daughter, Anna Elizabeth, died in her youth. The inscription on the back of this portrait reads "Samuel Freeman, M.D. Born in Hanover, N.H., Feb. 21, 1790 (Died Dec. 19, 1870) Painted by Nelson Cook, Jan. 1857 at Saratoga Springs, N.Y"; apparently Durkee's Reminiscences of Saratoga is incorrect in stating he was born at Ballston Spa, but The Frick Collection states his birthday was 14 (not 21) February. The portrait shows a distinguished, confident gentleman, bald with flowing hair down the back of his neck.)

Mrs. John Woodbridge (Helen Freeman) (1857) (Private collection?)
(b. ca 1824; daughter of Dr. Samuel and Helen Woodruff Freeman of Ballston Spa and Saratoga; m. John Woodbridge 11 Sep 1861; Durkee's Reminiscences of Saratoga indicates that Rev. Dr. Woodbridge (d. 4 July 1909, South Pasadena, CA) was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Saratoga for over 20 years. Oval portrait, painted in Saratoga, shows a pretty woman with warm black hair in ringlets.)

Ellen Hardin Walworth (1857) (Historical Society of Saratoga Springs)
(b. Jacksonville, IL, 20 Oct 1832 - d. Saratoga Springs, 1915; daughter of Sarah Ellen Hardin and John J. Hardin, one-time US Congressman and leader in Black Hawk War, killed at Buena Vista in Mexican War; granddaughter of Martin Hardin, US Senator (KY); came to Saratoga 1851, when mother married Reuben Walworth; m. stepbrother Mansfield Tracy Walworth, 29 July 1852, making her Reuben's stepdaughter and daughter-in-law; marriage produced 8 children but also domestic violence, separation, and scandal [see Walworth Children]; co-founder of the DAR, 1890, educator, and civic leader in Saratoga; her 1893 address on the value of archives said to lead eventually to creation of National Archives; poet, essayist, author, pioneer feminist. Portrait is oil on canvas oval, signed and dated on verso by the artist; front view head with shoulders slightly turned, light brown hair braided across top; wearing white lace stole over green gown; left hand seems posed to display wedding ring prominently; subject, with a cheerful, outgoing countenance, seated on rose-colored chair, pale brown background.)

Ransom Cook (1857) (Location unknown)
[See Ransom Cook, 1844.]

The Walworth Children (1858) (Historical Society of Saratoga Springs)

Unidentified Walworth Children: Oil on canvas, horizontal oval, signed on verso "Painted by Nelson Cook. Saratoga Springs. 1858". This pair, well dressed, well groomed and clearly of a family of stature, may be two of the eight children of Mansfield Tracy and Ellen Hardin Walworth. This and the painting below are located in the Walworth Museum, The Casino, Saratoga.


Courtesy of Historical Society of Saratoga Springs, acc #W-70-15

Unidentified Child: Oil on canvas oval, signed on verso "Painted by Nelson Cook, 1858". This angelic portrait with tones of light gray, beige, and blue is thought to be a posthumous painting, as suggested by the puffy clouds at bottom. Donated in the 1950s by a great granddaughter of Reuben Hyde Walworth.

Courtesy of Historical Society of Saratoga Springs, acc #W-70-19

Mrs. Esek Cowen (Betsey Berry Rogers) (1858) (Connecticut Historical Society)
(b. 18 March 1781, New Jersey - d. 1866; m. Esek Cowen 1811; daughter of Sidney Berry, Revolutionary War Colonel and first clerk and surrogate of Saratoga County. Children by Esek: Susan Berry, Sidney Joseph, and Patrick Henry Cowen; apparently, by previous marriage, mother of Thomas Rogers (b. 1808), who became step-son and law student of Esek and later entered politics. It is perhaps a demonstration of the close ties -- by family, by profession, etc. -- of Cook's sitters that Judge Halsey Rogers was uncle of Thomas.)

Portrait of a Child (1858) (Location unknown)
(The identity of the child is unknown.)

Courtesy of H.A. Eastman

Husband and Wife (pair of portraits) (1858) (C. G. Sloan & Co.?)
(Noted by Smithsonian Institution Research Information System.)

Ernestine L(ouise) Rose (1858? 1860?) (Location unknown)
(b. Ernestine Louise/Lasmond Susmund Potoski/Polowsky, 13 Jan 1810, Pyeterkow, Poland - d. Brighton, England, 4 Aug 1892; a leading feminist, abolitionist and atheist; born the daughter of a rabbi, she rebelled from strict Jewish upbringing, left Poland, and befriended radicals in England such as utopian socialist Robert Owen; married William Rose and came to the USA, where she took up abolitionism and other causes. Described as handsome, well spoken, and witty, she often addressed large audiences, first in New York state, then further afield; worked with Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, William Lloyd Garrison, Isabella Beecher Hooker [of the famous Beecher clan, related through marriage to JH Hooker; see above], many others. She and husband are buried in Highgate Cemetery, London. Many photos and lithographs of Rose exist; it is tempting to suggest feminist and Saratogan Ellen Walworth as the link to Cook, but it seems as likely that Cook and Rose came together due to her many conventions in upstate New York; Cook also was in NYC around this time. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Rose noted by the Historical Society of Saratoga Springs.)

William E(lla) Rose (1858? 1860?) (Location unknown)
(b. ca 1813, England - d. 1882, England; skilled jeweler and silversmith; born a Christian; follower of Robert Owen; married Ernestine Rose ca 1830; they set up shop in New York, he working with jewelry to support her causes, she making the perfumed papers she sold in Europe and the USA to ease the stench of tenement houses. Cook's family portraits, like most of those of the 19th Century, are generally defined by the husband/father; William and Ernestine Rose apparently are an exception. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Rose noted by the Historical Society of Saratoga Springs.)

A Gentleman: Dr. W. S. Alger (1859) (Location unknown)
(There is a Wilks S. Alger reported as a trustee of Saratoga Springs in 1850 by Sylvester's History of Saratoga County (1878). Portrait noted by Historical Society of Saratoga Springs.)

Sister of Colonel/General Graham (ca 1860) (Location unknown)
(Cook refers to this painting in two letters from NYC, 19 April and 17 May 1860. This was apparently a posthumous portrait done from photographs belonging to Col/Gen Graham (Cook refers to him by both ranks at different times), President of Metropolitan Insurance Company and an art collector who took several hours to walk a clearly impressed Cook through his collection. Cook observes that painting from photos is more difficult than working with a sitter.)

Madame d'Uresmond (ca 1860) (Location unknown)
(In a letter from NYC in May, 1860, Cook writes: "I have varnished Madame D'uresmond's [sic] Portrait. Mr. Rose helped me hang it up, in a good light. It is at once recognized." Nothing further is known of the sitter or the portrait, though it is possible she was associated with the woman's movement, if for no other reason than "Mr. Rose" is presumably William E. Rose, husband of Ernestine, whose portraits apparently were done around this time, with Ernestine's also varnished.)

Morris Boy (ca 1860) (Location unknown)
(Described as a miniature of a son of Mrs. Morris of Clinton Place, NYC, in a Cook letter of 17 May 1860.)

Portrait of Unknown Female (1863) (Peacham Historical Association)
(Noted by Smithsonian Institution Research Information System.)

Unidentified Gentleman (1867) (Location unknown)
(Signed "N. Cook" on the front and "Painted by Nelson Cook, Saratoga Springs, NY 1867" on the reverse; 27"X34"; noted in letter of inquiry to Historical Society of Saratoga Springs from Winston-Salem, NC, Oct 1969.)

Olmstead Family (ca 1870) (Location unknown)
(Family group portrait (?) allegedly done from "wretchedly colored" photographs provided to Cook in 1865. A Cook letter of 31 Oct 1870 suggests a vigorous dispute between him and Mr. Olmstead over payment of the fee; the outcome of the disagreement is unclear but may have resulted in an unfinished or undelivered work.)

Susan (Bellows) Sowles (1871?) (Location unknown)
(b. 13 Feb 1868?; Cook refers to "little Susan Sowles" in an undated letter; daughter of Edward Sowles and Margaret Bellows Sowles, thereby related to Hiram Bellows (1798-1876), who made his fortune in railroads and left a bequest to fund Bellows Free Academy, St. Albans, VT. Apparently in a case reaching the Supreme Court of VT in 1903, Susan and her parents asserted a claim to a portion of Hiram's bequest through litigation. Unlike most of his inscriptions, located on the reverse of his portraits, Cook signed this one on the lower front right; he was paid $110 for the Sowles painting. Portrait noted by Historical Society of Saratoga Springs.)

Tom Thumb (1875 or earlier) (Location unknown)
(That this might have been a show person (?) (or even a locomotive?) is suggested by a Cook letter of 30 May 1880 in which he claims that a gallery owner said he could find someone willing to buy the work for $175, this apparently five years or more after the painting was completed.)

Calvert Comstock (1876? 1877?) (Location unknown)
(b. 2 July 1812 - d. Oct, 1876; taught school then attended Hamilton College, 1831-33; studied law and admitted to bar, 1836; practiced law in Rome, NY; appointed District Attorney for Oneida County and sat in the NY State Assembly (1845); also active newspaperman, serving as an editor of the Albany Argus and a founder of the Rome Daily Sentinel; m. Eliza Mann Sill (1836), seven children; first mayor of incorporated Rome, NY; died of consumption. In a letter (8 Feb 1877) Cook mentions a commission he received to do a portrait of the late mayor, apparently from photos; however, while he notes that a City committee must approve his submission, he does not mention if the portrait ever was accepted; today portraits of all the mayors of Rome hang in the City Hall, but that of Comstock is not an oil portrait and is probably not Cook's work; it is not known whether the portrait exists today.)

Alderman Beers (ca 1877) (Location unknown)
(A bust mentioned by Cook in a letter of 8 Feb 1877 from Rome, NY. Apparently Beers served in the city government with Mayor Comstock.)

Mr. Slingerland (and Mrs. Slingerland?) (ca 1877) (Location unknown)
(Separate busts mentioned in Cook letters of 22 and 30 July 1877. Could this be a relative of US Representative John I. Slingerland (1804-1861), who passed away in Slingerland, NY, outside Albany?)

Dr. Kingsley (ca 1879) (Location unknown)
(Cook mentions his work on this portrait in several letters from Rome, NY (14 Sep 1879 and undated). Work was delayed on the painting as the artist worked on a copy of an earlier painting of Rachel Cook, Ransom's wife. He eventually received $80 for Kingsley's portrait, which the doctor paid over time as Cook "needed it." The portrait was to go to the county fair, and Cook noted that he was planning to do one of Mrs. Kingsley in several weeks, though there is no mention of his completing hers.)

Marion Cook (Ellenwood) (Date of original portrait unknown; restored by Cook in 1879) (Location unknown)
(b late 1830s, Canada - d. 1927, Saratoga, NY; Nelson Cook's daughter. The original work suffered water damage from a leaky parlor roof, and his efforts to restore it are noted in a letter to Ransom from Rome, NY (14 Sep 1879). The photo was taken (date unknown) as the portrait hung in the home of a Cook descendant. See Biography for more information on Marion.)

Courtesy of H.A. Eastman

John C. Hulbert (date?) (Location unknown)
(b. Pittsford, VT, 12 Feb 1817 - d. ?; trained as a printer, then in law under TJ Marvin, others; as lawyer admitted to the bar of Common Pleas (1836) and of the NY Supreme Court (1839); Saratoga County Surrogate, 1847-56; served three terms as County Judge, 1863-1871; also member of partnership manufacturing bolts and, later, marketing mineral water; as a NY State Elector in 1856, he voted for Republican John C. Fremont for President.)

Susan Julia Potter (date?) (Rochester Historical Society)
(b. 1835 - d. 1908; second wife of Byron D. MacAlpine (1824-1894); both buried Mt. Hope Cemetery, Rochester; one of a minority of full-length Cook portrait subjects [see Judge Halsey Rogers and Millard Powers Fillmore]; sister of Mary Elizabeth Potter. Probably painted in the mid-1850s during the artist's years in Rochester.)

Courtesy of Rochester Historical Society, #1991.287

Mary Elizabeth Potter (date?) (Location unknown)
(Attributed to Cook; sister of Susan Julia Potter and possible companion piece to her portrait. Noted by Rochester Historical Society)

Mrs. Benjamin Franklin Potter (Mary Smith) (date?) (Private collection)
(Portrait noted by the Frick Gallery, 1972, via Historical Society of Saratoga Springs.)

Unidentified woman (date?) (Location unknown)
(Sold at auction for $1-2K in September 2001)

Portrait of a Man (date?) (Location unknown)
(Sold from Sotheby's Arcade, 24 Jan 1989, for $4687. Portrait noted by www.askart.com. B&W image of this portrait could be seen here as of May 2003)