The portrait of this handsome man illustrates the changes in historical interpretation that often take place over the course of a museum's lifespan.  Indeed, unsure of the original date of this image, early museum benefactors believed that the man, whose face is as sensitively painted as any in the museum's collection, was that of John Hammond--the nephew of the original owner Matthias Hammond.  The youngest son of Charles Hammond and Rebecca Wright, John Hammond inherited his uncle's famous house in 1786.  In 1789, John transferred the property to his brother Phillip.  It is believed that neither John nor Phillip ever actually lived in the Palladian mansion. 

It seems unlikely, therefore, that Hammond would have stored his portrait at what was probably a rental property.  So, who is this man?  Again, the provenance of the portrait offers some clue to the identity of the sitter.  Indeed, Mrs. Sherman Flint purchased the painting after the original auction of 1925.  The painting was found rolled up in "the Garrett," presumably forgotten and excluded from the main auction.   This history seems to suggest that the man pictured was a Harwood relative--perhaps of the Chase or Loockerman lines.   Unfortunately, modern conservation of the painting did not reveal an artist's signature or sitter identification;  hence, the true identity of this man is likely to remain a mystery.