Lot 215

Henry Walton - Portrait of Silas H. Van Lew

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Henry Walton - Portrait of Silas H. Van Lew

Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000

Starting Bid: $1,000

(0 Bids)

by New England Auctions
July 8, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
14 Business Park Drive - Unit 5
Branford, CT, US 06405

Henry Walton (1820-1873) - Portrait of Silas H.Van Lew, aged 3, with his pet dog. Signed lower center and dated 1836. Watercolor on paper in a period frame. New York State.
Frame: H 10-7/8 in. W 8-7/8 in. Sight: 8 in. W 6 in.
Reference: A portrait of his younger brother Oscar was sold at Schmidt's Auction Ypsilanti, Michigan in 2013. It is not ironic that both portraits were found in the Midwest as the family like many other Upstate NY families moved to Michigan sometime after1836 as part of the early pioneering period across America and in this case Western Michigan. Silas married Luna Haynes around 1854 and settled in Kent County, Michigan and had children including a daughter named Ida. Early records show that the typical settler movement from Upstate NY would have likely consisted of a combination of boat across the Great Lakes and overland travel. From Ithaca, for instance, the voyage would have been 60 miles north by road to the Erie Canal (Syracuse was a likely place) and then by packet boat west to Buffalo on the shores of Lake Erie. That's where travelers would board a steamboat or schooner heading toward Detroit and points further west.

  • Condition: Excellent original condition. Inspected out of frame. Copy and Paste this Dropbox link into your internet browser to see high-resolution images: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/47rf1ntcfxfp0r9qbxep1/ANY6agV5QqQqNk2RkoFAgY4?rlkey=v7vjpdo3ce1k5oanpkrpk0yoe&st=wyyr3wbt&dl=0

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $199 $25
$200 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $200
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $299,999 $10,000
$300,000 $499,999 $25,000
$500,000 + $50,000