biography of Ezra AMES (1768-1836)

Birth place: Framingham, MA

Death place: Albany, NY

Addresses: Worcester, MA, 1790-93; Albany, NY, 1793-1836

Profession: Portrait, miniature, landscape, sign and carriage painter

Studied: self-taught

Exhibited: PAFA

Work: MMA; NPG; NY Hist. Soc.; Albany (NY) Inst.; Shelburne (VT) Mus.; Staten Island Inst. Arts and Sciences.

Comments: A prolific artist, he painted the portraits of many prominent political figures in the style of Gilbert Stuart. He painted 450 portraits of New York State leaders in Albany. His masterpiece and the work that brought him the most attention is his portrait of Vice-President George Clinton, painted for the New York State Capitol in 1813. Ames was also a prominent Mason and banker.

Sources: G&W; Archivial materials: Ames's manuscript account books, expense books, letters, and family records are at the Albany Institute and the New-York Historical Society. An authoritative study is Bolton and Cortelyou's Ezra Ames of Albany, with extracts from his account books, a checklist of his works, and many illustrations. More recently, see Baigell, Dictionary; P & H Samuels, 7; Muller, Paintings and Drawings at the Shelburne Museum, 24 (w/repro.); 300 Years of American Art, vol. 1, 75.