Matthew Maury

Peregrine F. Cooper, active 1840-1890 · ca. 1840

Long thought to be a portrait of oceanographer Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873), this miniature appears to be an image of his cousin, also named Matthew Maury. According to correspondence from the family, this Matthew Maury (1800-1875) was the son of James Maury, affectionately known as “The Old Consul” for his role as the first American consul to Liverpool, England. James Maury was a friend of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington, all of whom attended a school set up by James Maury’s father to educate his thirteen children and the children of other prominent families.