Family Ties and the Heart & Hand Artist

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by Deane VanDusen

The origin of the American “family record” artwork began to appear around the Revolutionary War period and were a regional art form being produced in New England and eastern New York. These watercolor illustrations recorded the births, marriages, and deaths of family members and often accommodated various design images. These artworks became treasured heirlooms of the families and were framed and displayed in prominent places in the home. Many times these records took the place of more expensive portraits in the “everyman’s home”. The popularity of these genealogical records are demonstrated by the large number of existing examples in watercolor on paper and needlework pieces that were part of the teachings of young women at various female academies. In most cases, the artists were self taught and a few became itinerant artisans traveling locally or to multiple states pedaling their works. Several identified artists have become known and more than a few are anonymous practitioners.

I first became aware of the Heart and Hand Artist when I discovered years ago an 1854 family record of the Moore family from Carthage, Maine (Figure 1). I was immediately taken with the exceptional calligraphy and colorful graphics memorializing Hannah Perry and Rodney Moore’s marriage, the birth dates of their eleven children, and times of death. The name “Heart and Hand Artist” derives from the artist’s often use of a heart tuned sideways and an open right hand pointing left separated by the word “and” forming a cryptogram (Figure 2). This symbolism reflected the bonds of familial love, as well as humanity and brotherly love.

The earliest known work by this artist was created in Gilmanton, NH in 1849, although it is likely that the artist was active before this. The format used was variable with some being small, individual birth records (Figure 3) or a token of affection (Figure 4); a vertical three column format with “Names”, “Births” and “Deaths” with a bold “Family Record” title and swag and tassel curtains and memorial and willow trees in the middle of the “Deaths” column (Figure 5); or a horizontal four column format adding a “Married” column with the memorial and willow trees moved to the top of the sheet and an added church with fenced yard surrounded by pointed evergreen trees (Figure 1).

Figure 2. Detail of cryptogram from Lorenzo F. Conner Token of Affection, Henniker, NH, 1850-1855. Ink and watercolor on woven paper, 3” x 4 1/8”. Photo courtesy of Don Olson American Antiques and Folk Art.

Figure 3. Sarah Foss Birth Record, Stafford, NH, 1850-1855. Ink and watercolor on woven paper, 2 ½” x 3 ½”. Photo courtesy of New England Auctions.

The artist’s first known works originated in eastern New Hampshire and then into south-western and western Maine. In March of 1850, the Heart and Hand Artist was in Durham, Maine where Abel Tracy and his wife Rachel Orr from Harpswell commissioned the artist (Figure 6). In this example the artist used a lithographed “Family Register” printed by Kellogg & Comstock in Hartford, CT which dates after 1845. It is likely the Heart and Hand Artist was traveling with a supply of printed records, and although not as lucrative, a client could choose this as an alternate to the hand-painted record. Another Harpswell related small birth record is known by this artist and is one of the Merriman family members.Ultimately, these mass-produced family records would eliminate the need for specialized artists doing hand painted examples. The Heart and Hand Artist’s career probably lasted just over one decade and a significant number of works painted from Maine to Pennsylvania survive. These remaining family tributes acknowledge the strength of intergenerational family bonds and the enduring appeal of the work of this gifted artist.

Figure 4. A. E. York Token of Affection, Fairfield, ME, 1850-1855. Ink and watercolor on woven paper, 2 ¾” x 3 ½” . Private Collection. Courtesy of David Schorsch and Eileen Smiles, Woodbury, CT. Photography by Gavin Ashworth.

Figure 5. Simon Mayberry and Mary Hall Family Record, Saccarrappa, ME (now Westbrook), 1850. Ink and watercolor on woven paper, 9 ¼” x 13 ½”. Photo courtesy of American Folk art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Philip Isaacson.

Figure 6. Abel Tracy and Rachel Orr Family Record, Durham, ME, 1850. Ink and watercolor on woven paper, 10” x 14”. Photo courtesy of the Huntington Art Museum, San Marino, CA, Gift of Jonathan and Karin Fielding.

Saturday, August 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Neck, Islands and Cundy’s Harbor. See the graves of Harpswell’s Revolutionary War soldiers, ship captains and local characters. Slate, sandstone and granite markers with designs from skulls to anchors and flowers span colonial Harpswell until today. Meet at Town Hall from 11 a.m. until 12 noon for tour booklet and map or pick up at flagged Burying Grounds.