Portrait of Captain John Somes
A selection of works by Benjamin Blyth:
Portrait of Captain John Somes
John Somes (1745–1816), shown in a dark jacket with large buttons and a lacy white shirt with a high collar, was born in Gloucester in 1745, a son of Abraham and Martha (Emerson) Somes. He served as commander of the privateer Swallow during the Revolutionary War, was the first president of the Gloucester Bank (founded in 1786) and a state representative. Somes kept a tavern in Gloucester's Harbor Village during the immediately after the Revolution. The undertaking earned him the nickname "Old Toby," a reference to a mug typically used for ale that was modeled in the shape of a stout old man, often with a tri-cornered hat.
This portrait is on display in the Cape Ann Gallery alongside a portrait of Elizabeth Rogers Low (1764–1810), also of Gloucester.
Details
| Artist: | Benjamin Blyth |
|---|---|
| Date of work: | c. 1780 |
| Medium: | Pastel and paper mounted on canvas |
| Accession number: | 1596 |
| Credit line: | Gift of Mrs. Ranch from the Estate of Josephine Dolliver |