Object Details
- Creator
- Rand, John Goffe, 1801-1873
- Place of publication, production, or execution
- United States
- Physical Description
- 0.2 Linear feet
- Arrangement
- The collection is arranged into 6 series: Series 1: Biographical Information, 1873-1941, circa 1960 (Box 1; 5 folders) Series 2: Correspondence, 1864, 1906-1960 (Box 1; 2 folders) Series 3: Subject Files, 1841-1844, 1941-1956(Box 1; 2 folders) Series 4: Printed Material, circa 1900 (Box 1; 1 folder) Series 5: Photographs, circa 1930 (Box 1; 1 folder) Series 6: Artifact, circa 1832 (Box 1; 1 folder)
- Access Note / Rights
- Use of original papers requires an appointment.
- Summary
- The scattered papers of inventor and portrait painter John Goffe Rand measure 0.2 linear feet and date from circa 1832-1960, bulk 1832-1873. Included are biographical sketches, a will, lists of portraits by Rand, a small amount of correspondence, files regarding Rand's invention of the collapsible artists' paint tube, clippings, a photo, and an example of one of the first paint tubes made in a factory.
- Citation
- John Goffe Rand papers, circa 1832-1960, bulk 1832-1873. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
- Additional Forms
- The papers of John Goffe Rand in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2010 and total 112 images.
- Funding
- Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art
- Use Note
- The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
- Biography Note
- John Goffe Rand (1801-1873) lived and worked in Boston, London, and New York as a portrait painter and inventor. Rand invented and patented the first collapsible artist's paint tube.
- Rand was born in 1801 in Bedford, New Hampshire. As a young man, he worked as an apprentice to a cabinet maker. Although he showed talent, Rand chose to paint houses and signs and found that he excelled at portraiture. Discovered and encouraged by Samuel F. B. Morse, he moved to Boston and by 1828 established his own studio. While temporarly in Charleston, South Carolina, Rand met Miss Lavinia Brainerd whom he later married.
- Shortly after their wedding, Lavinia and John Rand travelled to London where John continued to paint portraits. Among those whom he painted were members of the royal family and other figures in the English nobility including Lord Bexley, the Duke and Duchess of Inverness, and the Duke of Sussex.
- While in London, Rand invented a collapsible paint tube made of tin for storing artists' mixed oil paints. Prior to this advancement, painters generally mixed pigments with oil in small amounts and stored the extra paint in animal bladders. The tin tube allowed unused paint to be stored and used later without drying out. In 1841, Rand patented the invention with the United States Patent Office. He went on to patent several later improvements. Other later inventions, however, were not as widely received, and most of his ideas were not financially successful.
- Upon returning to the United States, John Rand and his wife settled on Long Island where he continued his career in painting portraits. The artist died in 1873.
- Language Note
- English .
- Provenance
- The John Goffe Rand papers were donated by Rand's great-grandnieces Mary and Katherine Anglemyer in 1981 and 1985.
- Digitization Note
- The papers of John Goffe Rand in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2010. The papers have been scanned in their entirety and total 112 images.
- Location Note
- Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
- Record number
- (DSI-AAA_CollID)6737
- (DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208862
- AAA_collcode_randjohn
- Type
- Photographs
- Theme
- Lives of artists
- Archives of American Art
- Topic
- Inventors -- England
- Portrait painters -- England -- London
- Painting -- Equipment and supplies
- Theme
- Lives of artists
- Record ID
- AAADCD_coll_208862
