Frank Sewall Sketches, 1891-1892.

Access and use

Location of collection:
Colonial Williamsburg
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
P.O. Box 1776
Williamsburg, VA 23187
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Douglas Mayo
Phone: (757) 565-8521
Phone: (757) 565-8520
Fax: (757) 565-8528
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Librarian/ Associate Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts, and the holder of the copyright, if not the Rockefeller Library at Colonial Williamsburg.

Preferred citation:

Frank Sewall Sketches, Manuscript MS 96.40, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Summary

Creator:
Frank Sewall; 1837-1915.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Frank Sewall Sketches, Manuscript MS 96.40, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Background

Scope and content:

These sketches document the appearance of several eighteenth-century buildings in Williamsburg prior to their restoration in the 1930s. They consist of one framed sketch and a sketchbook featuring scenes of Williamsburg and the James River drawn by Frank Sewall between 1891 and 1892. The sketchbook is titled: "Williamsburg, Va. The Potomac, the James, and the Canal, 1891." It includes pen, pencil, and watercolor sketches of interior and exterior views of Bruton Parish Church, the Courthouse and Market Square, the Wren building, and various unidentified houses, as well as views of boats along the James and Potomac rivers. The framed sketch is a view of the tower and steeple of Bruton Parish Church.

Biographical / historical:

It is believed that the artist was Frank Sewall (1837-1915), best known as a Swedenborgian clergyman. After graduating from Bowdoin College in 1858, he traveled in Italy and was recognized for his great appreciation of the arts. Sewall held a pastorate in Washington, DC from 1889-1915. The sketches date from this period, with several signed examples also thought to be by his daughters.

Acquisition information:
Purchase, 1996.
Physical description:
2 items.

Indexed terms

Subjects:
Sketches--Virginia--1891.