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Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 1,500
ROBERT FULTON Sketch of William Williams.
Pen and brush and ink and wash on paper, 1813. 232x191 mm; 9 1/8x7 1/2 inches. Initialed, titled and dated "New York July 6th 1813" in wash, lower right and center margin.
Williams is most likely the brother of Colonel Jonathan Williams, the first Superintendent of West Point.
Robert Fulton (1765-1815), whose career as a portrait painter predated his fame as an engineer, gained initial success with a portrait of Benjamin Franklin. Fulton's father had been close friends with the artist Benjamin West's father and their sons lived together for a short time in Philadelphia in the late 1700s. However, Fulton is best remembered historically for his pioneering role in developing steam powered locomotion. Along with Robert Livingston, Fulton built the first commcerial steamboat in 1807, which transported passengers from New York to Albany.
