Capt. Daniel J. Schanck

Periodca. 1828 - 1830

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions34 × 27 in. (86.4 × 68.6 cm)

ClassificationsPortraits

Credit LineGift of George and Mary Lou Strong, 2012

Object number2012.8.1

DescriptionThree-quarter length portrait of a mature man with dark brown hair facing right, and wearing a very dark reddish-brown coat, yellow silk vest with narrow off-white striping, white shirt, and white stock. Background is a dark brownish black. The subject's left hand is tucked into his coat.
Curatorial RemarksMicah Williams of New Brunswick is more widely known for his distinctive work in pastel on paper. Late in life he spent about three years in New York City learning portraiture in oil on canvas. Williams had executed pastel likenesses of Daniel J. Schanck and his first wife Catherine Smock about 1820. This is the only known example of an earlier work being reproduced later in oil. It is possible that one of Schanck’s family had requested such a copy from the artist. NotesDaniel J. Schanck (1771 - 1845) was born in the Pleasant Valley section of Holmdel, a son of John Schanck and Neeltje Bennett. He married twice: first in 1793 to Catherine Smock, and then in 1844 to Eliza R. Schanck Conover. Schanck was initially buried in the private Schanck-Covenhoven Burying Ground, but his remains were later reinterred in the nearby public Holmdel Cemetery. Many genealogies claim that his middle initial is an “I”. However, in a late use of Dutch patronymics, his middle name is John after his father’s first name. It is often difficult to distinguish an I from a J in early nineteenth century handwriting.

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