William T. Lindamood's WW I Timepiece

A watch that once belonged to William T. Lindamood (1888-1976) during his service in World War I turned up in an eBay auction.  The seller was clear across the country in Salem, Oregon.  While the watch may have been taken from the house and sold in darker times, it still works and has William T. Lindamood's name and Decatur, Illinois engraved perfectly clear on the back.  The watch may end up finding its way back to Lindamood Home sometime soon.

The Long Sisters

A photograph of Lindamood Home builder Francis Marion Camp's mother and her sisters was posted on the website for the Friends Creek Cemetery.  These are the daughters of Joseph D. Long, the man in the painting.  The sisters from left to right are Emily Jane (FM Camp's mother), Margaret (How about that? Aunt Mag had an Aunt Mag of her own), Tabitha, Otilla, and Lavina.  I would guess the photograph is from the late 1880s or early 1890s.  There were many mid 1800s personal financial documents from Otilla and her husband George Younge in the closet at the Lindamood Home.  

The Origins of the Long Painting

The painting of Mr. Long is currently in my office in New York City.  People stop in and ask, who is that? Where did it come from?  We've already addressed who (Joseph D. Long) is in the painting, but I suppose there are two ways to go about answering the question of from where did the painting come.  We could start at the beginning, looking at Mr. Long's apparent age at the time of painting, perhaps 35-45 years old, which puts the time of painting somewhere between 1827 and 1837.   We know that Mr. Long moved to Macon County, Illinois around 1837 from Dayton, Ohio.  Dayton was larger and more established than any Illinois town at that time.  Coincidentally, 1837 was the same year the city of Chicago was incorporated.

We could also look back in time.  The painting arrived in Decatur with its prior keeper, Mr. Long's granddaughter, Margaret "Maggie" Camp (1869-1965).  Maggie Camp was the sister of Lindamood Home builder Francis Marion Camp, and known affectionately as Aunt Mag.  Aunt Mag apparently received the painting from her mother Emily Jane Camp, upon her passing in 1909.

Aunt Mag, spending her last days at the Lindamood Home in 1965. 

Aunt Mag had been living in Los Angeles, which is where the painting spent some 30 years.  Eventually old age and the need for care, which was provided by Nellie Lindamood, brought Aunt Mag back to Decatur, where at the age of 96, she died in the Lindamood Home, just like her brother Francis Marion, some 26 years earlier.

Maggie as a young woman.

A telling account of Aunt Mag's strong-willed personality is offered by her other brother, Steven Camp (1865-1967), in this 1950 letter to Nellie Lindamood.

     

Restoring Mr. Long

Joseph D. Long (1792-1875) may not have been as pink as the sheen of nicotine made his face appear in the uncleaned portrait.  Restoring Mr. Long was by no means a small task.  I am told that a portrait of a not-so-very-famous gentleman of this size and era (about 175 years old), being in great condition, would bring 300-500 from a collector at the most.  Yost Conservation in Oxford, Connecticut is very experienced in restoring great works of American Art for collectors and museums alike.  A full restoration would cost many times that amount.  But there really is no other option when it comes to family heirlooms.

Before Restoration Work

Back of Painting Before Restoration

Midway - After Cleaning But Before Inpainting

The Restored Mr. Long