Skip to main contentBiographyAlonzo Pease was born in Massachusetts in 1820. At the age of eight, he moved to Ohio with his parents (who were farmers) and in 1834 they settled in Oberlin. He was uninterested in college and worked in photograph colorizing in Oberlin, Detroit, and Cleveland. He also became a popular portraitist in these cities, and was frequently commissioned by universities to paint portraits of their administrators. In 1865, he moved to Utica, where he lived for thirteen years and made a living as a portraitist. In 1880, he moved back to Oberlin with his wife, Delana Parsons Pease, and died the following year.
Most of Alonzo Pease’s known works are portraits, though he did also produce a few historical paintings of which we have records; upon his death, he also left an unfinished allegorical work. It is unclear exactly how many paintings Pease produced during his lifetime, given that many of them were privately commissioned portraits which have never been displayed publicly. In fact, the only other painting of his currently on display is a portrait of his nephew (on display at the Oberlin Heritage Center). Similarly, while we do have titles for a few of his historical works--the most popular of them being Demosthenes at the Sea Shore--it is unknown where those paintings are today, so they may very well be housed in private collections as well. The most recent (and perhaps only) documented auction of one of his works occurred in 1994.
While most of his paintings are in private collections, he enjoyed relative success during his lifetime, particularly in the midwest and northeast, where he spent significant portions of his life. His work seems to have been most popular toward the end of his life, in the 1870s, when his portraits were exhibited at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition in 1876 and the National Academy of Design in 1870, 1874, 1878, and 1880, and his work was regularly on view at the Art and Mechanics’ Associations in Utica when he resided there.
Image Not Available
for Alonzo Pease
Alonzo Pease
American, 1820 - 1881
Most of Alonzo Pease’s known works are portraits, though he did also produce a few historical paintings of which we have records; upon his death, he also left an unfinished allegorical work. It is unclear exactly how many paintings Pease produced during his lifetime, given that many of them were privately commissioned portraits which have never been displayed publicly. In fact, the only other painting of his currently on display is a portrait of his nephew (on display at the Oberlin Heritage Center). Similarly, while we do have titles for a few of his historical works--the most popular of them being Demosthenes at the Sea Shore--it is unknown where those paintings are today, so they may very well be housed in private collections as well. The most recent (and perhaps only) documented auction of one of his works occurred in 1994.
While most of his paintings are in private collections, he enjoyed relative success during his lifetime, particularly in the midwest and northeast, where he spent significant portions of his life. His work seems to have been most popular toward the end of his life, in the 1870s, when his portraits were exhibited at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition in 1876 and the National Academy of Design in 1870, 1874, 1878, and 1880, and his work was regularly on view at the Art and Mechanics’ Associations in Utica when he resided there.
Person TypeIndividual
