Captain Isaac Knight, Jr.

Oil Portrait: Probably Isaac Knight, Jr. of Portland, Maine. Born Jul 17, 1817, Isaac was a sea captain and the story goes that his portrait was painted in Europe (one family account says Italy). Oil on canvas. (Click here for a portrait of Isaac's wife.) Both paintings survived the great Portland, Maine, fire of 1866, and were passed down through Isaac's niece, Abba Ella (Knight) Jones, to her daughter, Ruth Gertrude (Jones) Greene, then her daughter (my mother), Ruth Kathryn (Greene) Malcolm.

I'd guess Isaac's age in the portrait to be about 40, meaning that it was painted in the 1850s, shortly beforte he retired from the sea to operate first a grocery, then a fruit and confectionary store in Portland, Maine. Although I don't have detailed knowledge of his seafaring career, the newspaper account of his 82nd birthday celebration indicates that Europe was among his destinations.

If this is not Isaac, then the only other person it might be is his father (also Isaac, b. Dec 30, 1787; d. May 2, 1846).

Below are two detail photos of the portrait. Note that Captain Isaac is holding a brass telescope, reflecting his sea-going trade. More subtle is the sunburned nose and cheeks compared to the pale forehead. Clearly, when onboard, Isaac wore a hat!