Jacob Eichholtz (1776-1842)
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Jacob Eichholtz was an American portrait painter born in Landcaster, Pennsylvania. Eichholtz was initially a copper smith and sign painter, and in the beginning of his artistic career, only painted in his spare time. Eichholtz started out his artistic career with no formal training, and was mainly self-taught, inspired by the works of fellow painter Thomas Sully. He eventually traveled to Boston and received some of his first artistic training under the famous portraitist Gilbert Stuart. Later, Eichholtz would open up his own studio in Philadelphia.
From time to time, Eichholtz would visit Baltimore, and painted portraits all over New England in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware. He was a highly prolific and successful artist, and it is thought that he produced nearly 1,000 portraits alone in his lifetime. Eichholtz also painted historical scenes and landscapes, though these are generally less known.
One of Eichholtz’s early calling cards as a portrait painter was to paint his sitters in profile, then encircled in a “cameo” rendition. These were created on small wooden panels only measuring nine inches by seven inches, and were only painted from about 1808-1811.
Eichholtz was said to have only recorded 13 of these profile paintings in his records, yet nearly 100 of these profile paintings, signed and unsigned, are attributed to him. Could this mean that a great many other portraits exist of his today, unrecorded and otherwise unknown? In a career that spanned nearly 35 years, it is quite possible that more of his paintings still exist somewhere.
In particular, Eichholtz became known for his strong portraits of prominent social and political figureheads in Baltimore and Philadelphia, as well as for his paintings of family groups.
Doctors, lawyers, judges, politicians, and various well-known men and women were often his sitters and wealthy patrons, as well as the 15th President of the United States, James Buchanan.
Eichholtz set himself apart from other self-taught portrait painters of the day because of his ability to realistically recreate texture in his portraits. Hair, fabric and skin take on a completely lifelike and realistic look in Eichholtz’s paintings…a great testament to a self-taught painter, but probably because of the influence of Stuart.
Today, Eichholtz’s paintings are housed all over New England in public collections like the Smithsonian and in many private collections as well. Still wondering about that family heirloom portrait hanging in your family’s estate? Contact us…it could be by Jacob Eichholtz.