Cadwallader Colden
Cadwallader Colden (1688–1776) was born in Ireland and educated in Scotland, where he received his medical degree from the University of Edinburgh. In 1710, he emigrated to Philadelphia where he practiced medicine and carried on a mercantile business. In 1715, while on a brief visit to Scotland, he married Alice Christie and published his first scientific treatise, on animal secretions. Soon after his return to America, he began his lengthy career in public service with his appointment in 1720 as the first surveyor-general of the colony of New York. In 1761, he became lieutenant governor of the colony of New York, an office he held until his death. A learned and versatile man who wrote on history, applied mathematics, botany, medicine, and philosophy, Colden's best known work is the "History of the Five Indian Nations Depending on the Province of New York" (1727). This portrait and its companion (22.45.7) were probably painted when Wollaston was in New York between 1749 and 1752.
Artwork Details
- Title: Cadwallader Colden
- Artist: John Wollaston (Anglo-American, active 1733—67)
- Date: 1749–52
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm)
- Credit Line: Bequest of Grace Wilkes, 1922
- Object Number: 22.45.6
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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John Wollaston (Anglo-American, active 1733—67)
ca.1749–52
John Wollaston (Anglo-American, active 1733—67)
ca.1749–52
John Wollaston (Anglo-American, active 1733—67)
ca. 1749–52
John Wollaston (Anglo-American, active 1733—67)
1749–52
John Wollaston (Anglo-American, active 1733—67)
ca. 1749–52
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