Figure 1.--We have found a naive portrait of the Dr. Lewis G Thompson family painted by Horace Rockwell (1811-77) about 1842-44. He has rather crammed everone togther, but the facial depictions and the clothing details are very good. We know very little about the artist. We know a little about Dr. Lewis Garret Thompson (1803-45) who died shortly after the portrait was painted. Many of the children except the older boy have low necklines including the younger boy who has ruffled trim around his neckline top. The adults wear black, but the children are allowed white or color. The girl's bright red dress seems a rather bold statement.

We have found a naive portrait of the Dr. Lewis G Thompson family painted by Horace Rockwell (1811-77) about 1842-44. He has rather crammed everone togther, but the facial depictions and the clothing details are very good. We know very little about the artist. Horace Rockwell was an early itinerant artist to work in Indiana. He also did a portrait of the Judge Samuel Hanna family in 1843. Rockwell may be from New York and seems to have practiced in Philadelphia before coming West. His career choice as an artist was notvwek=ll tines as he had to compete with photography. He dabble in inventions and was killed when a flying machine he built did not fly. We know a little about Dr. Lewis Garret Thompson (1803-45) who died shortly after the portrait was painted. Dr. Thompson apparently was from Ohio, at least he graduated from the Ohio Medical College in 1837 according to A Medical History of the State of Indiana by G. W. H. Kemper. His paractice was in Fort Wayne Indiana. He apparently got his degree after he moved to Fort Wayne where he arrived (1825). This was very early in Indiana's development which only became a state in 1816. He served served on the Fort Wayne Board of Health and in the Indiana House of Representatives. He practiced medicine and surgery with a Dr. Sturgis on Columbia St. in Fort Wayne. He looks to be a prosperous individual with his large, well dressed family. He seens to have had trouble collecting his fees, and adverised that he accepted payment in produce. When he died he had many uncollected fees. Also in the portrait are Ann McFarland Scott Thompson (1805-90), Eliza Scott Forsythe, c. 1805 - ?), Margaret Forsythe (1842 - ?), and unidentified children. The portrait remained in the Thompson family until donated by descendents of Ann Eliza, the girl at the piano. Many of the children except the older boy have low necklines including the yonger boy who has ruffled trim around his neckline top. The adults wear black, but the childre are allowed white or color. The girl's bright red dress seems a rather bold statement. The portrait includes the family pooch who the yoinger boy is holding and want somethingbthe boynis hilding in his hand. wants

Created: 1:41 AM 8/13/20207
Last updated: 1:41 AM 8/13/2020