Tunis Vanderveer Conover

Artist George Henry Durrie

Period1842

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions30 × 25 in. (76.2 × 63.5 cm)

SignedSigned on reverse in paint, "Painted by Durrie / May 1842."

ClassificationsPortraits

Credit LineGift of Mrs. J. Amory Haskell, 1939

Object number1303

DescriptionThree-quarter length portrait of a middle age male with a long, thin face facing left, and wearing a black jacket, black vest, white shirt, and black tie. He has dark brown hair, side parted and full over the ears, and light sideburns below his ear. The subject is seated on a red-upholstered sofa, against a shaded green background.
Curatorial RemarksDurrie's record book indicates that he charged $8.00 apiece for this portrait, that of Conover's wife, and two more of their children. There is a longstanding family tradition that the artist lived with the Conovers while executing their portraits. A self-portrait of Durrie was owned by the family until 1983. It was supposedly given to them by the artist as a token of friendship for their hospitality. Conover's portrait and that of his wife Rebecca are in conventional rectangular shape, while those of his three children are executed as ovals with a rectangle. NotesTunis Vanderveer Conover (1802 - 1864), a son of William I. Conover and his wife Jane Vanderveer of Freehold, lived on a 180 acre farm in Marlboro, Monmouth County. In 1830, he married Rebecca Crawford Conover, daughter of Hendrick Conover and Anne B. Crawford. They became the parents of four children, one of whom died young. Conover was very successful at farming. His property became noted as a showcase farm from the mid-19th century until sold out of family in 1948. Route 79 north of Marlboro village divided the property into two roughly equal parcels east and west of the road. The house was a large two-story, center hall plan structure with extensive barns, outbuildings, and a tenant house located near it. A distillery was also operated in the northeast corner of the farm. Conover's property abutted Old Brick Church, the family being prominent members.

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