Eckardt, Otto E - Slade family miniature portraits

Parts of this group of miniature portraits were offered on Ebay, with some retained by the vendor and others sold to different buyers. Three were acquired for this collection, but the full group is shown here for the benefit of researchers and in an effort to identify some of the sitters. The research process may also be interesting to visitors.

The three acquired are the one at top left and the central pair at the bottom. The vendor also kindly enclosed several labels which identified some of the sitters. The vendor in Winnebago, Minnesota, United States had acquired the full group as a single unit and described them as; "James J Hill RAILROAD TYCOON, SUPREME COURT JUDGE STRONG Family Relation photos in EXCELLENT CONDITION, 113 yrs OLD", and also:
UP FOR AUCTION IS AN ANTIQUE PAIR OF MINIATURE PORTRAITS ON IVORY,SUPERB DETAIL AND IN EXCELLENT CONDITION,ANT WHITE SPOTS ARE REFLECTIONS or DUST ON THE GLASS,THERE ARE NO WHITE SPOTS ON PORTRAITS.THE GENTLEMAN IS SIGNED ON THE BACKSIDE: Painted by Otto E. Eeckardt 1901,EACH MEASURES APPROX. 4" inches TALL by 3" inches WIDE.

PAINTED AND SIGNED by ARTIST OTTO E. ECKARDT

of DRESDEN ON FRONTSIDE, A WELL KNOWN MINIATURE ARTIST WHO THROUGH HIS CAREER PAINTED MANY PROMINENT PEOPLE AND HAD OTHER ARTISTS THAT STUDIED UNDER HIM. ALSO,HE PAINTED ON IVORY AND PORCELAIN EVEN DOING SOME KPM PLAQUES.

THESE PORTRAITS WERE SOLD AS PART OF THE JAMES J. HILL ESTATE WHO WAS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF MINNESOTA HISTORY BEING INVOLVED WITH THE RAILROADS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE STATE,ALSO THEY ARE RELATED TO THE STRONG FAMILY AND THE SLADES. THESE PORTRAITS DEPICT ARTHUR J. SLADE AND CORNELIA (STRONG) SLADE, ARTUR IS THE ONLY BROTHER OF GEORGE T. SLADE  WHO MARRIED CHARLOTTE E.HILL IN 1901; MRS.JAMES HILLS DAUGHTER) AND CORNELIA IS THE DAUGHTER OF STATE SUPREME COURT JUDGE STRONG AND EMMA BARNES STRONG, DO THE RESEARCH AND ADD THESE IMPORTANT EXAMPLES TO YOUR COLLECTION TODAY!!

Although the vendor listed the identities in good faith, analysis of the labels suggests that some items may have been miss-identified, with the relationship with the Hill family unexplored beyond the vendor's comment. The pair acquired for this collection have been removed from their frames and photographed separately. They are both signed by Otto E Eckardt of Dresden, the one of a young man also being signed and dated 1901 on the reverse. Otto Eckardt was one of a family of miniature painters who appear to have been sent photographs from America, from which he painted miniature portraits. As can be seen below he also added colour to the reverse. Although, superficially, they may look like those miniatures painted in America on ivory over a faint photographic base, there is no sign of that technique here and they are believed to be traditional miniature portraits on ivory.  There are a number of similar Eckardt miniature portraits of other sitters in this collection.

In seeking to identify the sitters, the young man is the best place to start. It seems fairly certain he is identified by the label "Arthur Jarvis Slade only brother of George Theron Slade". Although the references at Rootsweb have not been double-checked, that website does record Arthur Jarvis Slade, born 1 October 1872 in New York, and also his brother. A birth date of 1872 would make him 29 in 1901 which seems to fit. Arthur died in Naples Italy on 30 March 1932. He appears to have qualified as an engineer and his parents are recorded on Rootsweb as George P Slade and Cornelia Wheeler Strong born 29 April 1844. I 1900 Arthur married Jessica Hildreth Halsey who was born in 1877, thus it is likely his portrait was painted at the time of his wedding, probably as a pair with a portrait of his first wife which then retained by her on their divorce. The woman here is too young to be her and thus is more likely his mother, Cornelia Wheeler Strong Slade. There is more about the family at http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/a/r/Rose-A-Barnes/ODT25-0001.html

An extensive obituary of Arthur has been located which shows he was divorced in 1920 and then, in Paris, was remarried in 1929 to Yvonne Truchot Tegou, but appears to have had no children.



The pair at the top of the group photo are clearly by the same artist and painted at the same time. The miniatures were retained by the vendor but by deduction, are believed to be the father of Arthur, George P Slade and the mother of Cornelia Wheeler Strong Slade, a Cornelia Wheeler Barnes born 15 February 1816. Their birth dates would appear to match the ages in the miniatures.


The identification of George Patten Slade is reinforced by a photograph of him in a book Oakdale by Diane Holliday, Chris Kretz published in 2010. Anyone wishing to purchase a copy should refer to Arcadia Publishing At the time, 1902, George P Slade was President of the South Side Sportsmen's Club. See also South Side Sportsmen's Club - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Identification of Judge Strong, State Supreme Court, as referred to in one label is less easy, but it seems likely to be the miniature at top right of the large group photo.  The Emma Barnes Slade/Strong referred to in another label is less obvious. She was the great-grandmother of Arthur and may be the lady at the bottom right, with the man at bottom left being her husband. However, as those two portraits appear to be French from c1815-1825, they may well be ancestors of Arthur Slade's French, second, wife, Yvonne Truchot Tegou, which could also explain the origin of the two miniatures in the middle which appear to be French decorative miniature portraits. The man at top left is identified on the rear as either "Rev Mr Roush" or "Rev Wm Roush". His miniature portrait was acquired for this collection and can be found in the American 3 Gallery. 1486a, 1486b, 1485.