165 . GEORGE GARDNER FISH ( Nantucket 1822-1906 ) “ The Bride and Her Maidens ”, pastel on paper portrait of a gay bride in white satin wedding gown with three maidens under a tree , original lemon gilt frame , probably made by Fish ’ s brother , signed lower left G . G . Fish , N . Y . 35 ½ in . x 27 ½ in .
George Fish , a Nantucket portrait painter who principally worked in pastels , collaborated with with his brother , William H . Fish , who made the splendid frames that adorn many of George Fish ’ s works . He moved to New York in the mid-1850 ’ s and showed several works , mostly genre scenes , at the National Academy of Design from 1858 to 1863 . After spending a few years in New York , he returned to Nantucket , where he eked out a modest career , in a studio space at the Nantucket Atheneum . He later expanded his professional repertoire to include photography – collaborating with local photographer E . T . Kelly to produce hand-colored cartes de visite . By the end of his career , Fish was a kind of eminence grise on the island , an experienced , learned man who lectured frequently on art and literature , and played the violin . The present pastels exemplify Fish ’ s portraiture
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