Object ID	N0145.1977
Title	Elizabeth Fenimore Cooper
Artist	Freeman, George
Object Name	Painting
Early Date	1816
Exhibit label line3	Born in 1781 in Rancocas, New Jersey, Elizabeth Fenimore married William Cooper in 1774, and reluctantly moved to her husband's new village of Cooperstown in 1790. After first settling his family in a small frame house, Cooper prospered and in 1799 moved his family into the newly built Otsego Hall, the largest brick house west of Albany. Freeman's painting depicts the large central hall that ran through the center of the structure. A family servant, Joseph Stewart, stands at the pantry doorway, while Mrs. Cooper's pots and boxes of exotic plants, said to include orange trees and crape myrtle, are grouped at the south end of the room. These were usually placed outside during the warmer months. However, this was a unique year. The eruptions of Tambora, a volcano in the eastern Indian Ocean, spewed so much ash into the atmosphere that the northeastern United States suffered cold weather and frosts throughout the summer.
Description	Elizabeth Cooper seated in Otsego Hall. Marks: In ink in script on the right center of the frame's wood backing is "A representation of the hall of the mansion house of the late William/Cooper Esqr. [illegible] also a perfect likeness of his widow Mrs. Elizabeth/Cooper together with her shrubbery in the south end of the hall. Also/the likeness of their old servant Joseph Stewart generally known/by the name of Governor. [P]ainted by Mr. [ ] Freeman/in the summer of 1816----". Written by George Pomeroy, Mrs. Cooper's son-in-law, in ink in script along the lower left of the frame's wood backing is "1846 This picture, at our deceased/we bequeath it to our daughter Mrs. Georgiann Keeses (Keese) at her death - to her son G. Pomeroy Keese/G.P." No watermark found.
Dimensions	H-18 W-22 inches
Material	Watercolor on wove paper
Place of Origin	Cooperstown, Otsego County, NY

Prior written permission is required for any reproduction, redistribution, publication, or other use of the images in any media, including but not limited to, printed or electronic media. Contact the Office of the Registrar, New York State Historical Association, PO Box 800, Cooperstown, NY 13326, (607) 547-1444, to request permission.    
Last modified on: November 04, 2005