George Healy writes to GEORGE PERKINS MARSH

In this letter to George Perkins March (considered to be America's first environmentalist), GPA Healy mentions how he has just finished the Thorn portrait. *Dubourjal is a French artist of the time. Paris March 27 1854. 16. Place Vendôme Page 1My dear Marsh, I have been greatly disappointed in not being able to make my... Continue Reading →

October 13, 2024 0

Thorn Portrait Flyer

Thanks to Lynda (a descendant of George Healy's), I have some precious photos of memorabilia connected to the Thorn family portrait. This is the flyer for the auction when the painting was sold sixty years ago. I had tried to track this down through the auction house, but they told me they had lost their... Continue Reading →

February 4, 2022 1

Original Thorn Family Portrait

I am BEYOND excited to share with you a glimpse at the original Thorn family portrait painted by G.P.A. Healy in 1851. Until today (3 plus years into the research), I had only seen an old black and white photo of it in the Frick photo archives. And I had no idea who the current... Continue Reading →

February 2, 2022 6

The Lost Portraits

According to Jane Mary Jauncey Thorn's last will and testament, there are some paintings I have not been able to find. It is my deepest wish to at least sight a photo of the originals some day. Any help in tracking them down is greatly appreciated: Princess Esterhazy's natural pearl tiara Madame de Varaigne and... Continue Reading →

December 7, 2020 1

G. P. A. Healy and the Thorns

The renown artist, G.P. A. (George) Healy had an enduring friendship with his patron, Colonel Thorn. Not only did he paint many portraits of the family, but he had his "own room" in their Sixteenth St residence in the Flatiron district in Manhattan. They met on a voyage to Paris in 1831. From that first... Continue Reading →