America, Ohio, Cleveland / 1837
Nathaniel Olds
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Nathaniel Olds as painting (America, Ohio, Cleveland · 1837).
This painting has a distinguished history inspiring Halloween costumes in the Cleveland area.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on canvas and credits Jeptha Homer Wade (American, 1811–1890).
The museum's collection notes: Nathaniel Olds’s glasses have four tinted lenses, two of which are hinged side shields. This style was typically worn to protect sensitive eyes from excessive light, dust, or wind. Due to their occasional use during open-air travel, they were sometimes referred to as carriage or railroad spectacles. The painter of this portrait founded the Western Union Telegraph Company in 1854 and soon became one of Cleveland’s wealthiest industrialists. His grandson, Jeptha Wade II, was a founder of the Cleveland Museum of Art and donated the land upon which it stands as a Christmas gift to the city in 1892.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtNathaniel OldsOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.