Governor Alpheus Felch
(1846-1847)

c. 1846
Painted by Joseph Allen Haskell
Oil on Canvas

This portrait of Governor Alpheus Felch is painted in a traditional style, using tight, refined brushstrokes that leave behind little evidence of the artist. It includes classical elements, like the column and the curtain behind Felch. The books, papers, and inkwell on the table beside the governor, as well as the open document in his hand, show a dedication to his job; in fact, Felch’s relaxed pose and the fact that he gazes directly at the viewer give the impression that he has been interrupted in the middle of his work.

Felch’s face, while figurative, is not realistic. Instead, the flatness of the governor’s skin tone and dark areas of shading lead to an almost cartoon-like depiction of the man. Felch sits in an armchair in front of an open window, which is partially covered by the curtain. The bright, cloudy sky and dark, hazy trees in the landscape outside are reminiscent of landscape scenes by American painters like those in the Hudson River School. A train blowing smoke can be seen cutting through the middle of the landscape – a reference to the industrialization that had swept through America in the early-19th century.