Albert Gallatin Hoit
Encyclopedia
Albert Gallatin Hoit was an American painter who lived in Boston
, Massachusetts. He painted portraits of William Henry Harrison
, Daniel Webster
and Brenton Halliburton
.
, December 13, 1809, to Gen. Daniel Hoit and Sally Flanders. Siblings included William Henry Hoit. Hoit graduated from Dartmouth College
in 1829. He married Susan Hanson in 1838; children included Anna M. Hoit.
Hoit "devoted his life to portrait painting, first at Portland, Maine
, in 1831, and then in Bangor and Belfast, Maine, and St. John's, N.B.
until Boston, Mass., became his permanent home in 1839." He also travelled in Europe, "Oct. 1842 to July 1844, ... enjoying the galleries of art in Italy, Paris, and London." He created portraits of Pietro Bachi, Johanna Robinson Hazen, J. Eames, and others. He painted a portrait of Daniel Webster "for Paran Stevens, which hung for years in the Revere House
, Boston, and now belongs to the Union League Club, New York."
He was affiliated with the Boston Artists' Association
; and exhibited at the gallery of the New England Art Union
in the 1850s. In 1848, he kept a studio on Tremont Row
in Boston, and lived in Roxbury. By 1852, he'd moved his studio to Washington Street
.
Hoit died in Jamaica Plain, December 18, 1856, at age 47.
Works by Hoit are in the collection of the Sandwich Historical Society in New Hampshire, the New Brunswick Museum and the National Gallery of Canada.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts. He painted portraits of William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
, Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
and Brenton Halliburton
Brenton Halliburton
Sir Brenton Halliburton was the eighth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.- Sources :*A History of Dalhousie Law School by John Wells. University of Toronto Press, 1979...
.
Biography
Hoit was born in Sandwich, New HampshireSandwich, New Hampshire
Sandwich is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,326 at the 2010 census. Sandwich includes the villages of Center Sandwich and North Sandwich...
, December 13, 1809, to Gen. Daniel Hoit and Sally Flanders. Siblings included William Henry Hoit. Hoit graduated from Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1829. He married Susan Hanson in 1838; children included Anna M. Hoit.
Hoit "devoted his life to portrait painting, first at Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, in 1831, and then in Bangor and Belfast, Maine, and St. John's, N.B.
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
until Boston, Mass., became his permanent home in 1839." He also travelled in Europe, "Oct. 1842 to July 1844, ... enjoying the galleries of art in Italy, Paris, and London." He created portraits of Pietro Bachi, Johanna Robinson Hazen, J. Eames, and others. He painted a portrait of Daniel Webster "for Paran Stevens, which hung for years in the Revere House
Revere House
Revere House was an upscale hotel in 19th-century Boston, Massachusetts, located on Bowdoin Square in the West End. Fire destroyed the building in 1912.-Brief history:...
, Boston, and now belongs to the Union League Club, New York."
He was affiliated with the Boston Artists' Association
Boston Artists' Association
The Boston Artists' Association was established in Boston, Massachusetts by Washington Allston, Henry Sargent, and other painters, sculptors, and architects, in order to organize exhibitions, a school, a workspace for members, and to promote art "for the art's sake."-History:According to the...
; and exhibited at the gallery of the New England Art Union
New England Art Union
The New England Art Union was established in Boston, Massachusetts for "the encouragement of artists, the promotion of art" in New England and the wider United States. Edward Everett, Franklin Dexter, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow served as officers of the board. The short-lived but lively...
in the 1850s. In 1848, he kept a studio on Tremont Row
Tremont Row
Tremont Row in Boston, Massachusetts, was a short street that flourished in the 19th and early-20th centuries. It was located near the intersection of Court, Tremont, and Cambridge streets, in today's Government Center area. It existed until the 1920s, when it became known as Scollay Square...
in Boston, and lived in Roxbury. By 1852, he'd moved his studio to Washington Street
Washington Street (Boston)
Washington Street is a street originating in downtown Boston, Massachusetts that extends southwestward to the Massachusetts-Rhode Island state line. The majority of it was built as the Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike in the early nineteenth century...
.
Hoit died in Jamaica Plain, December 18, 1856, at age 47.
Works by Hoit are in the collection of the Sandwich Historical Society in New Hampshire, the New Brunswick Museum and the National Gallery of Canada.
Further reading
- Obituary. The Crayon, January 1857, p.29.
- Patricia L. Heard. With Faithfulness and Quiet Dignity: Albert Gallatin Hoit 1809-1856. Concord, N.H.: New Hampshire Historical Society, 1985.
- Albert Gallatin Hoit (1809-1856): The Canadian Paintings. University of New Brunswick Art Centre, 1991.