Portrait of James Newton Bagg

This week, our artifact of interest is this portrait of an important historical figure in West Springfield: James Newton Bagg (1824 - 1905). He is depicted at age 20, which dates the piece to approximately 1844.

James Newton Bagg’s legacy in West Springfield is unmatched. He was an active member of the community who documented his life in a detailed set of diaries for over fifty years. These entries now serve as an invaluable glimpse into what life was like over 175 years ago. He narrated events and experiences – big and small – that the people of West Springfield would have seen long ago. In fact, an entry from January 1, 1847 describes visiting Aaron Day’s house to buy supplies; this signifies an interpersonal connection and the Days’ long lasting prominence in our community. 

James Newton Bagg was also a historian – he was the primary author of Account of the Centennial Celebration of the Town of West Springfield from 1874. Additionally, Bagg’s legacy lives on within the work of his grandson, Donald Brooks Bagg: Through the Years: West Springfield 1774-1974. This oil portrait was donated to the Ramapogue Historical Society by Donald and by another one of Newton Bagg’s grandchildren, Marion Loomis Aschenbach. 

This artifact is compelling not only because of who it portrays, but also because of the artist behind it. William Smith Elwell (1810 - 1881) was a renowned portrait painter native to the Springfield area. While a master of many mediums, oil portraits were his greatest passion — and greatest talent. In addition to working with the people and landscapes of this area, he also sat with none other than Dolly Madison, a First Lady of the United States, in 1848. His portrait of her now lies in the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian!

Dolly Madison was not the only connection Elwell has to prominent figure’s in our nation’s history. Elwell was the apprentice of one of America’s greatest portrait artists: Chester Harding. Therefore, he learned from his instructor’s portraits of James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, John Marshall, Henry Clay, and many more.

Information for this post was gathered using the following sources:

• James Newton Bagg’s 1847 Diary (courtesy of the West Springfield Town Museum)
• https://archive.org/details/springfield1888gree/page/n3/mode/2up
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44994965/william-smith-elwell
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58777395/james-newton-bagg
• https://npg.si.edu/blog/portrait-dolley-madison-william-elwell
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_Harding_(painter)