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Dimensions: measurements 20 1/2 by 16 1/2 in. alternate measurements 52.1 by 41.9 cm
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Provenance: George Vaux, 1854
Sale: Freeman's, Philadelphia, April 17, 1999, lot 718
Acquired by the present owner at the above sale
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Exhibited: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1988
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Literature: Charles Coleman Sellers, Portraits and Miniatures by Charles Willson Peale, Philadelphia, 1952, no. 772, p.190, llustrated no. 290, p. 339
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Notes: PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR
William Sansom was a great patron of the city of Philadelphia for whom Sansom Street was originally named. According to Charles Coleman Sellers, " In 1854 the painting was purchased by George Vaux at the instance of his sister-in-law, Hannah Samson, a daughter of William. When the picture was brought home, however, members of the family, to the amusement of some and to the chagrin of "Aunt Hannah," identified it as her uncle, Joseph Sansom. The identification was fixed by an inscription on the back of the painting ' Joseph Sansom, My great-uncle on my mother's side, a man of culture in his day and an early antiquarian. Born 2/13/1767, Died 10/4/1826' " (Portraits and Miniatures by Charles Willson Peale, Philadelphia, 1952, p.190). The note, now lost, was signed George Vaux, VIII.
