1860s Identified Sea Captain James T Whitman Antique Portrait Photo Maritime For Sale

IDENTIFIED 19TH-CENTURY SHIP CAPTAIN PORTRAIT — JAMES THOMPSON WHITMAN (1830–1865)

Offered here is an unusually well-identified mid-19th-century portrait of Captain James Thompson Whitman (1830–1865), a New England seaman and ship commander who died in Mobile, Alabama shortly after the Civil War.

What makes this photograph particularly interesting is the period handwritten identification preserved on the reverse. It identifies the sitter as:

Capt. James Thompson Whitman

Born: July 24, 1830 — Wilton, New Hampshire

Married: June 24, 1858 — Chelsea, Massachusetts

Wife: Mary Greenlaw

Died: November 24, 1865 — Mobile, Alabama

INDEPENDENT HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION

Whitman's identity and maritime occupation are independently supported by 19th-century genealogical documentation.

Henry Allen Hazen's 1883 History of Billerica, Massachusetts, with a Genealogical Register records James Thompson Whitman and specifically describes him as a “seaman and ship commander.”

The same historical record states that he married Mary Greenlaw of Maine, had two children, and died in Mobile in 1865.

Research has not yet established the specific vessel or vessels commanded by Whitman, so no particular ship is being attributed to him in this listing.

IMPORTANT HISTORICAL CLARIFICATION

Some later family/research material accompanying the photograph suggested that Whitman was a Union Army captain associated with Civil War operations around Mobile. Our research has not substantiated that claim.

The contemporary and 19th-century evidence instead identifies Whitman as a seaman and ship commander. The title “Captain” is therefore presented here in its documented maritime context rather than as a military rank.

THE PHOTOGRAPH

The portrait depicts Whitman formally dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and bow tie, with his distinctive goatee. The image is mounted on its original period presentation board with an oval portrait opening.

The handwritten identification on the reverse is an especially important part of the piece and provides unusually strong provenance for an otherwise traditional 19th-century portrait.

Please examine all photographs carefully for exact condition, toning, staining, edge wear, surface wear and other age-related characteristics. The photograph and mount are offered exactly as shown.

COLLECTOR INTEREST

An appealing piece for collectors of:

• 19th-century photography

• Maritime and nautical history

• Sea captains and shipmasters

• New England history

• New Hampshire and Massachusetts history

• Mobile, Alabama history

• Identified antique photographs

• Genealogical and family-history material

This is an opportunity to acquire an identified portrait of a documented 19th-century American ship commander, rather than an anonymous period photograph.

The original handwritten identification is an integral part of the historical value of this piece and is shown clearly in the photographs.