Ralph D. Curtis - American Folk Artist Discovery

In the November 2009 edition of "The Magazine Antiques", Dr. J.E. Jelinek published an article outlining his research into a previously unidentified nineteenth American folk artist, Ralph D. Curtis. Curtis was born in 1808 near Syracuse, NY. His work is readily identified by his use of tulip wood panels, thin oil pigments, dark backgrounds and his seeming avoidance of modeling the human thumb. Dr. Jelinek's article takes a scholarly approach and provides a fine survey into the history of Curtis from his beginnings in Upstate New York to his eventual settlement in Michigan. There have been many portraits over several decades reliably attributable to Curtis based on stylistic criteria rather than signatures.

Here is a link to the article by Dr. Jelinek: http://www.themagazineantiques.com/articles/ralph-d-curtis-a-nineteenth-century-folk-artist-identified/

By luck or chance, I have had the distinct opportunity to have owned two portraits by Ralph Curtis over the past five years. I purchased the first one through eBay and was drawn to it merely on its "folky" merits - flat,  almost cartoon-ish appeal. The subject is quite handsome, wearing a dark overcoat and holding a silver-tipped cane. He appears to be in his twenties and is rendered in oil on wood panel. You be the judge:

The subject is unidentified, but certainly by the hand of Curtis. At the time, I was unaware of Curtis (this was prior to the article) and was later informed by a scholar friend of the solid attribution and the interest of Dr. Jelinek in garnering more information on its provenance. I offered what little I knew at the time and he cited a reference in the article to the existence of this portrait as "being found in the south.". The portrait left my collection shortly thereafter and I said 'goodbye' to what I thought was a rare opportunity to have owned a portrait by a recently discovered American folk artist.

Folk art portraiture is a personal passion and I am always on the hunt for inspiring (and seldom affordable) examples whether it be at auctions or shows. As luck would have it, last year I was perusing the site of my scholar friend's fantastic antiques web site and found something that made my heart skip a beat. I immediately recognized the hand as that of Curtis and contacted him immediately with my supposition. He confirmed my thoughts and told me that the portrait had just come in for consignment by a mid-western collector and a quick sale was desired. While I, and my wallet, were not in the market for a portrait, I couldn't resist. I took the portrait on terms and it arrived in my possession a couple of months later. And here he is...

What a handsome young man! See the similarities to he and his above predecessor? I learned from Dr. Jelinek's article that Curtis often demonstrated a deep philtrum (dimple above the upper lip) in his works. They definitely both have it and those hands almost look otherworldly. Since human hands are notoriously difficult to render in painting, many unschooled or itinerant artists would intentionally paint the sitter holding an object to avoid modeling. The boy holding the red book does just that even if it looks a little wonky. This beautiful portrait hangs in my collection and I admire him each day. He is unframed and painted on poplar wood panel.

I have included several other examples of Curtis' work as presented in the article. (Photos are courtesy of Dr. Jelinek and The Magazine Antiques).

I know American folk portraiture isn't for everyone, but it is representative of our rich artistic history and are uniquely American in their approach to capturing likenesses of our ancestors.


There are some wonderful museums which showcase the best folk portraiture in the country. These include:

The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum in Williamsburg,VA   http://www.history.org/history/museums/abby_art.cfm

Old Sturbridge Village www.osv.org

American Folk Art Museum www.folkartmuseum.com

Always a great resource for great folk art and antiques:

Antiques Associates at West Townsend (Massachusetts) www.aaawt.com