Portrait of Fr. James Fitton (1805-1881), who worked as a missionary to the Passamaquoddy people beginning in 1828. During his time as a missionary, Fr. Fitton was the pastor for the first Catholic churches in Hartford, CT and Worcester, MA. While working in Worcester, he purchased the site of the College of the Holy Cross and deeded the property to Bishop Fenwick in 1842. In 1855, Fr. Fitton was appointed the pastor of the Most Holy Redeemer church in East Boston, where he remained until his death. In the last 26 years of his life, Fr. Fitton established four churches and began the first Catholic newspaper in the United States.
Painted by Nelson A. Primus (1842-1916), who worked as a portrait artist on 183 Summer Street, East Boston during the 1880s. He received his training at the age of 15 with portrait painters George Francis and Elizabeth Gilbert Jerome. Primus moved to Boston in 1864 and remained there until he moved to California in 1895. Primus was known for his portraits of religious figures and landscapes. He was also one of the few active black artists in California during the late 19th century.
Date: 1881.
Dimensions: 28”x24”.