Celebrate America 250: Portrait of Wife of Revolutionary War Soldier
- Julie Nicolai
- Jul 20
- 3 min read
In honor of America’s 250th birthday, I am writing about an artwork connected to a Revolutionary War soldier. This watercolor, ink and gouache Portrait of Hanna Fulkerson Sharp was created in Missouri around 1843 by an early American limner portraitist, possibly itinerant. It shows a woman with dark brown hair pulled back. Wired-rimmed glasses sit atop her forehead. She wears a white bonnet with ruffles, and a black dress with a white collar. Seated in a wooden chair, she holds a feathered fan in her right hand and circular box in her left.
A note in the object file by an art expert indicates this portrait, although limner, has particularly well-painted hands, very detailed faces (individuality) and well-rendered clothing. Itinerant artists were common at this time, and it is possible that the painter of these portraits served this role.
Hanna Fulkerson Sharp (b. 1769, Washington County, Virginia; d. 1841 or 1844, Pinckney, Warren County, Missouri) was born to Squier Fulkerson, who resided in Danville, Missouri. He formerly lived in Lee County, Virginia. Hanna married Major Benjamin Sharp in 1786.
Major Benjamin Sharp (b. 1762, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania or Lee County, Virginia; d. 1842 or 1845, Pinckney, Warren County, Missouri) was born to John Sharp (d. Washington County, Virginia) and Elizabeth King. His grandfather was Thomas Sharp, a native of Ireland.
Benjamin Sharp served as a major under Colonel William Campbell in a Virginia regiment at the 1780 Battle of King’s Mountain during the Revolutionary War. He received commendations and was decorated for his service. He previously served in Washington County, Virginia, and neighboring counties. This service consisted mainly of fort duty and mounted duty in pursuit of Native Americans, British troops and Tories. In 1776, his company enrolled at Fort Black and was assigned to guard the fort and escort provision and baggage wagons. The Cherokee in the area had forced white settlers to take refuge in a series of forts, one of which was Fort Black in Fincastle (Washington), Virginia. Major Sharp fought in Christian’s Campaign against the Cherokee and the “Southern Campaign.”
In c. 1779, Major Sharp’s relatives were killed, including his brother-in-law, Jacob Fulkerson, in an attack by Native Americans. Mrs. Scott was taken prisoner by twenty-four Native Americans, after they killed her husband and children. She escaped after about one week, and over a month later, reached safety at a white settlement.
Major Sharp was also a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and rescued many people from the 1780 Richmond Theater fire. He moved from Washington County, Virginia to Powell’s Valley in the new county of Lee, taken from part of Russell County, in the southwest corner of Virginia. In 1817, he was appointed justice of the peace in St. Charles County, Missouri. He had received a land grant in Missouri for his military service.
Major Sharp died at his home 2.5 miles south of Montgomery City, Missouri. Per his obituary, he had been a resident of Montgomery County, Missouri since 1816. Sharp is buried in the City Cemetery in Montgomery City.
Major Sharp was an enslaver in Missouri, and there is much primary extant documentation regarding his enslaved people, including hand-written slave inventories, estate records, and correspondence. I will be publishing an article incorporating these documents that will focus on Missouri enslaver ideology, using Major Sharp as an example.
Based on research by Julie Nicolai at Library & Research Center, Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis.
Julie, Thank you for sharing how much history can be found in the painting of Hannah Fulkerson Sharp by an itinerant painter. The painting would today be a photo from a traveling photographer and give so much information on the life of the person in the painting if we would only take time to look for it.