Grace Mendes Seixas Nathan (Mrs. Simon Nathan) and Her Son Seixas Nathan

William James Hubard

ca. 1824

Silhouette portrait of a seated woman and a boy, standing.

Grace Mendes Seixas Nathan was born in Connecticut in 1752 to a patriotic, literary Jewish family. In 1780, she married the British merchant Simon Nathan, a supporter of the American Revolution who arrived in colonial America in 1773. Their son Seixas, born in 1785, was one of the signers of the New York Stock Exchange’s constitution and the president of Congregation Shearith Israel, the first Jewish congregation established in North America. Silhouette portraits cut from paper, affordable and easy to obtain, were popular before the advent of photography.

Credits

Private collection.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 6.

Engage with this Source

Creator Bio

William James Hubard

William James Hubard was an English painter who specialized in silhouettes, portraits, and miniatures. He came to America in 1824 and soon thereafter established his own successful gallery in Boston. He later moved to Virginia. In 1853, he was given an exclusive license by the Virginia General Assembly to make bronze copies of Houdon’s marble statue of George Washington. In 1862, during the Civil War, he was killed in an accident while making munitions for the Confederate army.

You may also like

Tablet inscribed with Hebrew.
Tooltip info icon

Arad Letter (Military Orders)

Arad letter (Military Orders). The letter, from the latter days of the Judean monarchy, refers to sending reinforcements to a town in the Negev, “Lest Edom should enter there.” It illustrates the…
View Source
Photograph of remains of stone structure with steps and two small altars.
Tooltip info icon

Arad Sanctuary Pillar

This photo shows a reconstruction of the cella, or inner sanctum, of the Arad sanctuary as it is thought to have appeared in its last phase. At the rear stands a 35-inch-tall (90 cm) pillar of…
View Source

Deer at the Red Sea

The sunset grew bold: it insisted on staying In the Red Sea at night, when the innocent pink Young fawns delicately make their way Downhill to the palace of water to drink. They leave their silken…
View Source