ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, May 25, 1996 TAG: 9605280040
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BOSTON
SOURCE: Associated Press
The earliest known life portrait of Thomas Jefferson, which was stolen nearly two years ago from a studio on the city's waterfront, has been recovered, the FBI announced Friday.
The FBI said a combined investigation with the Major Case Unit of the Boston Police Department, along with the help of intermediaries in New York City, helped in the recovery of the 210-year-old painting ``in perfect condition.''
Authorities refused to provide further information on the recovery.
The painting, a 28-inch by 36-inch portrait of Jefferson at age 43, was on loan to Polaroid by owner Charles Francis Adams, of Dover, a sixth-generation descendant of John Adams, the second president of the United States.
``I'm certainly pleased and very grateful to the FBI and the Boston Police Department,'' Adams said. ``I think they did a great job, they were very professional about it. I'm just delighted that it's in perfect condition."
The painting, believed to be worth between $1 million and $3 million, was stolen from the Polaroid Reproduction Center on July 29, 1994, where the company's replica division was making reproductions for personal or museum use.
Work on reproducing the portrait was finished and the painting was scheduled to be returned to Adams when the theft was discovered.
Police said the thieves broke into a 3-foot by 12-foot metal-and-concrete safe at a studio on a pier to get to the painting. The FBI would not divulge the location where the painting was found.
The portrait was painted by popular 18th century artist Mather Brown, a descendant of 17th century religious writer Cotton Mather.
John Adams had commissioned the portrait of Jefferson. Jefferson also arranged to have Brown paint a portrait of Adams, which was apparently much truer to its subject than Jefferson's portrait, according to accounts of that period.
Friends of Jefferson said the 1786 painting by artist Mather Brown looked nothing like the nation's third president.
While the ``picture by Brown of Mr. Adams is an excellent likeness, that of Mr. Jefferson ... has no feature like him,'' wrote William Short, a friend of the two presidents.
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