250-year-old founding father portrait rediscovered, brought home to Matawan

MATAWAN - Like the other founding fathers of the United States, Philip Freneau was fond of words. Unlike them, this “poet of the American Revolution” hated pictures.

Freneau did not sit for portraits. An engraving made after his death, depicting him at an advanced age, has been the only known rendering of the Matawan newspaperman who collaborated with James Madison and Thomas Jefferson to shape the young nation.  

For the past 17 years Mike Chartier, who owns Freneau’s former home and has become an expert on his life, wondered: What did this guy really look like?

After years of sleuthing, Chartier discovered the answer.

Now it’s hanging in his parlor room.

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An oil painting that nearly was lost to history, failed to sell at auction and now may be worth $300,000 arrived last Thursday, amid the snowstorm.

“This dispels the myth,” Chartier said. "He did sit for a portrait."

This art mystery concludes with a wistful twist fit for a poet: Chartier brought Philip Freneau’s previously unidentified portrait home two weeks before he’s moving out.

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'A random gentleman'

Chartier, 61, knew nothing about Freneau when he and wife Linda purchased the poet’s old home in 2004 for $385,000. Built in 1818 and expanded since, the five-bedroom, federal-style house inspired him to learn about this lesser-known founding father.

Freneau’s aversion to portraiture is well-documented; he viewed it as a vain pursuit by moneyed elites (although influential, he never was wealthy). Seven years ago, Chartier came across a 1982 newspaper article that referenced Monmouth University creating a bust of Freneau for an exhibit — with the aid of an oil painting by the famed artist John Singleton Copley. The painting, the article noted, commemorated Freneau’s 1771 graduation from what is now Princeton University.

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That sparked Chartier’s years-long search for the goods. Pieces came together slowly. He unearthed a reference to the portrait in the 1923 American Art Annual, plus a couple of corresponding details. Copley was working in New York and Philadelphia in 1771, so he was around. That same year, Freneau’s mother married a Major Kearney of Keyport, providing a rare influx of money into the family — and a potential source for paying Copley.

Eventually Chartier came across a supposed image of the painting in the Frick Art Reference Library. Image in hand, he scoured the internet for a match. In 2019 he found it — in the results of a Sotheby’s auction.

“This time it was just listed as ‘Portrait of a Gentleman,’” Chartier said. “The auction was held in 2018, but the painting (priced at $5,000-$7,000) did not sell.”

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After more digging, Chartier located the painting’s owner. It belonged to the Plimpton family of New York — relatives of the late acclaimed author George Plimpton. After some friendly correspondence and much paperwork, the Plimptons agreed to donate the portrait to the Matawan Historical Society. It had been in their family’s art collection for four generations.

Matawan historian Kurtis Roinestad drove to Sotheby’s northern New Jersey warehouse in Thursday’s snowstorm to pick it up. The irony was not lost on him that Freneau died in a blizzard at age 80, when he fell off his horse while riding back from a visit to relatives in Freehold.

Upon seeing the portrait, Roinestad and Chartier noticed something stunning: The nameplate on the frame identified the subject as Philip Freneau, and the artist as John Singleton Copley.

This treasure had been hiding in plain sight.

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“It’s just amazing, in the digital age we’re in, there could still be Revolutionary War mysteries like this,” Roinestad said. “With all the information that’s out there, the only known rendering of Philip Freneau could have been lost in anonymity with a family for 100 years, and all of a sudden one day it pops up at an auction, but being mislabeled as a random gentleman.”

Home at last, 200 years later

After doing some research for insurance purposes, Roinestad said the sale value of the painting appears to be “anywhere from $50,000 to over $300,000.” They can’t prove it’s by Copley’s hand. Though Copley’s name is on the plate, the work is not listed in his catalog. It could have been an apprentice or member of his studio.

Of course, they won’t be selling it. Chartier is hanging it in his parlor for a couple of days, a sort of homecoming after 200 years, before handing it over to the Matawan Historical Society. He plans to take some photos and share the story on websites for history buffs. He purposefully did not place the portrait over the parlor room’s fireplace.

“The history trolls — and there are history trolls — will come out and say it never could have hung above that fireplace," Chartier said. "That’s true, because it’s a Victorian fireplace from 1895.”

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Soon enough, it will make its way to the Burrowes Mansion Museum on Main Street. Built in 1723, the mansion is dripping with history and serves as headquarters for the Matawan Historical Society. As an added flourish, the Burrowes and Freneau clans were related by marriage.

“We’re elated to have such a gift given to us,” said Cathy Zavorskas, president of the Matawan Historical Society. “We’re going to have a proper unveiling.”

The portrait’s arrival coincides with Chartier’s departure. He and Linda are downsizing and relocating in the area. It’s hard to sell a historic home, but they found takers — a couple from Connecticut bought it for $485,000. They close March 3.

For this self-taught Freneau enthusiast, discovering the portrait and bringing it home was a valedictory.

“It’s an anomaly of events that eventually led to this,” Roinestad said. “When you think about something that potentially has such massive value and so many people dropped the ball (in identifying it) over a period of time, it’s great for us.”

After a thoughtful pause, he added, “It’s poetic justice.”

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.