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Henry Vassall

Henry Vassall Oil on canvas
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Oil on canvas by Joseph Blackburn, 1757

74.7 cm x 61.8 cm; in frame 103 cm x 88 cm x 10 cm

Artwork 01.191


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[ This description is from the project: Revolutionary-era Art and Artifacts ]

This portrait of Henry Vassall, member of the General Court and lieutentant colonel of the First Regiment of Middlesex Militia, was completed by Joseph Blackburn (circa 1700-1765) in 1757.

Henry Vassall was born in Jamaica in 1721. By 1741, he was in Boston and purchased from his brother a mansion house in Cambridge. He married Penelope Royall in 1742. He was elected twice to the General Court and in 1763 was appointed lieutenant colonel of the First Regiment of Middlesex Militia. He was active with business interests in his West Indies properties in Jamaica and Antigua. Henry Vassall died, insolvent, in 1769.