Two years ago, thanks to the generous donation of W. Allen Scheuch II, Class of 1976, the graphic arts collection acquired a portrait of Captain James West (1808-1884) captain of the U.S. Mail Steamship “Atlantic,” which sailed between New York and Liverpool. Recently Scheuch found and donated another portrait we believe to be the same Caption James West but painted by a different artist.
On the back of the second frame is a browning sheet of paper written in a delicate hand, “Captain James West / Born / Died / My grandfather / Mary Nixon West
We believe the portrait at the top is the younger of the two. What do you think?
[above] Unidentified artist, Portrait of Captain James West (1808-1884), ca. 1840. Portrait miniature on ivory. Graphic Arts collection 2013- in process. Gift of W. Allen Scheuch II, Class of 1976
[below] Sarah Biffin (1784-1850), Portrait of Captain James West (1808-1884), 1844. Watercolor on paper. Graphic Arts. 2011- in process. Gift of W. Allen Scheuch II, Class of 1976, given in honor of Meg Whitman, Class of 1977
