Joseph Anthony (silversmith)

Joseph Anthony Jr., (January 15, 1762 - August 5, 1814) was a noted American silversmith.

Joseph Anthony
Born(1762-01-15)January 15, 1762
DiedAugust 5, 1814(1814-08-05) (aged 52)
Burial placeChrist Church Burial Ground
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
OccupationSilversmith
SpouseHenrietta Hillegas
RelativesGilbert Stuart (first cousin)
Anthony's wife, Henrietta Hillegas, painted by Gilbert Stuart (ca. 1795–98)

Early life edit

Anthony was born in Newport, Rhode Island, the son of a successful sea captain and merchant who relocated to Philadelphia around 1783, and first cousin of painter Gilbert Stuart.

Career edit

He trained as a silversmith and became a successful business owner in Philadelphia, selling both his own wares and imported fine goods, and prominent in local society. From 1810 to 1814 he partnered with his sons, Michael and Thomas Anthony, as J. Anthony & Sons. He was one of the original subscribers to the Philadelphia City Dancing Assembly Fund.

Personal life edit

In 1785, he married Henrietta Hillegas (b. 1766), one of ten children of Michael Hillegas, first Treasurer of the United States, and his wife, Henrietta Hillegas of Philadelphia. Hillegas made his fortune in sugar refining and iron manufacturing.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ "Gilbert Stuart | Mrs. Joseph Anthony Jr. (Henrietta Hillegas) | The Met". metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  • Love and Loss: American Portrait and Mourning Miniatures, Robin Jaffee Frank, Gibbes Museum of Art, Yale University Press, 2000, page 163. (Also see portrait of Anthony on page 161.)
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Ancestry.com