While countless portraits immortalize Alexander Hamilton, offering us a clear vision of the Founding Father, visual representations of his family, particularly his children, remain scarce. Beyond the well-known images of Alexander and his wife Eliza, depictions of their extended family are even rarer. It’s understandable that no portraits exist of Alexander’s parents given his early life circumstances. However, even the prominent Schuyler family, Eliza’s lineage, is visually underrepresented, with only single portraits of her mother, Catherine Schuyler, and two of her father, General Philip Schuyler. Childhood images of Eliza and her numerous siblings are non-existent.
Similarly, Eliza and Alexander’s own children were not frequently captured in paintings or drawings during their youth. Aside from fleeting descriptions in letters, we are left to imagine whether their eldest son Philip truly possessed the acclaimed handsomeness or if their daughter Angelica mirrored her namesake aunt’s features. Even as adults, the Hamilton children are conspicuously absent from the visual historical record.
During a recent research endeavor, a remarkable portrait of John Church Hamilton (1792-1882) surfaced, offering a significant addition to our understanding of the Hamilton family. Despite extensive searches on the Hamiltons, this particular painting had remained undiscovered until now. This portrait is a valuable find as John Church Hamilton, the fourth son of Eliza and Alexander, played a pivotal role in preserving his father’s legacy. Named after Angelica Schuyler Church’s husband, John Barker Church, (a name reciprocated when the Churches named a son Alexander Hamilton Church), John Church Hamilton was just eleven years old when his father tragically died following the duel with Aaron Burr in 1804.
