Joseph Ives

The portrait of Joseph Ives measures 34" x 27". It was painted in 1852 by L. L. Hoffman at Brooklyn New York. The complete history of the painting is unknown. After Ives' death ten years after the painting was completed, the portrait would have been sold to resolve debts left by Ives. His house was sold to the Episcopal Church and demolished right after his death. 

By the mid-20th century the portrait came into the possession of Edward Ingraham's wife. She donated it to Bristol Historical Society after her husband's death in 1972. 

The portrait hung in the south east parlor of the Terry Homestead on Middle Street until the Historical Society vacated the premises in 2001. 

The portrait which was in significantly deteriorated condition was then put into storage. 

For some reason, the portrait, although on display for nearly thirty years, was never recognized by the horological community. Ken Roberts in his 1970 text on the Contributions of Ives made claim that a photo pictured in the text [page 2] was the only extant image of Ives. Later research found that the man in the photo was not Ives. 

In 2017, in preparation for the National Convention for the NAWCC the search for a true image of Ives was underway. 

The portrait was recognized by Tom Vaughn who brought it to the attention to the horological community in 2018. Vaughn set up a donation campaign to raise the funds to get the portrait restored. 

Through funding from the NAWCC and a private donation, the portrait was ready to be sent to the conservation artist. 

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Tom Yost of Oxford Connecticut was selected to restore the portrait.

Upon examination of the portrait, it was discovered that almost the entirety of the portrait was poorly repainted by an amateur artist sometime in the early-mid 20th century. 

Regardless of the concern over how much of the original portrait was still extant, Yost proceeded with the conservation project. 

BHS staff waited anxiously (with the hope that what was underneath all the paint was not just a painting of a boat!).

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By late 2019 the portrait was finished. The extraordinary painting which survived underneath was professionally conserved and the canvas re-stretched. BHS staff realized how extraordinary the portrait is and decided to host the "Joseph Ives Portrait Unveiling" as an event. 

The event was directed as a thank you for the charitable donations by the NAWCC and private donors. This was going to be a free event. 

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The finished portrait can be viewed below.