Artist S. Seymour Thomas’ Portraits at Terrace Hill

By CARLA HERLING

2007

Recently, Terrace Hill received another portrait of Frances Cooper Hubbell by artist S. Seymour Thomas. The painting, donated by Patty Ingham Davis, is now the third portrait by Thomas at Terrace Hill. As we know little about Thomas, we set out to discover more about him and, by extension, our paintings.

We have learned that S. Seymour Thomas was born in 1868 in Texas. He began painting at an early age and was a prize-winning artist by the time he was 20. He traveled to New York, studying with well-known artists, including William Merritt Chase. Thomas exhibited in Paris salons and was awarded the French Legion of Honor in 1905. He was married to Helen, who was also an artist. She managed his career and connected her husband with influential sitters. Among the most famous portraits by Thomas were those of Sam Houston, displayed in Texas’ building at the Worlds Fair in Chicago in 1893, and a portrait of Woodrow Wilson, part of the White House collection.

Seymour Thomas moved to Paris in the early 1890s and began exhibiting in the salons there. In 1896, he entered two portraits of Beulah and Frances Hubbell. We are fairly certain that the portrait of Frances hanging in the central hallway of Terrace Hill was entered in the 1896 salon. There are markings on the paintings reverse side that indicate it was “painted in Paris in 1896 by S. Seymour Thomas.”

Beulah’s portrait was described as “a striking study with lamplights glowing on the models face and sparkling on the gold comb in her hair” in a catalogue raisonne of Thomas’ work written by Cecilia Steinfeldt. We are working to locate this piece among Wachtmeister relatives. Additionally, we have a photograph of Beulah at Terrace Hill that closely resembles the description and may be of the painting itself.

The other Thomas portrait that currently hangs at Terrace Hill is of Isaac Cooper, Frances’ father, painted in 1898. Late in his life, Cooper lived in La Crescenta, California, perhaps coincidentally where Seymour Thomas and his wife, Helen, spent their golden years.

Steinfeldt’s book raises additional questions about the Hubbell portraits painted by Thomas. In addition to Beulahs portrait, there is further mention of a portrait of F. C. Hubbell painted while Thomas and his wife stayed at Terrace Hill. We currently have no knowledge of this portraits existence, other than this brief mention.

The newest portrait of Frances and the portrait of Isaac will soon be restored. Research will continue on Thomas ongoing artistic relationship with the Hubbell family.

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