Jacob Eichholtz (1776–1842): The Quiet Master of Pennsylvania Portraiture

Jacob Eichholtz (1776–1842) inhabited several worlds, or so his letter to fellow artist and historian of early American art, William Dunlap would suggest. Trained as an artisan, he successfully entered the world of fine art (Fig. 1). Born and raised in the small town of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he was most at home in cosmopolitan Philadelphia. His is an American story and his success at navigating a path through his rapidly changing worlds brings America’s past into sharper relief.

• Early Life & Training: Jacob Eichholtz was born to Leonard and Catharine Eichholtz, who owned and ran the Bull's Head Tavern on East King Street in Lancaster; his father took part in the American Revolutionary War. At age 11, he attended Franklin College in Lancaster where he learned the three Rs — reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic. He also took lessons from a sign painter since his parents noticed his inclination to draw, but eventually he was apprenticed as a coppersmith.
• Craftsmanship & Early Career: After his apprenticeship ended, Eichholtz started as a tinsmith working with sheet iron. By 1805, he opened his own shop in Lancaster where he “mended sugar boxes, tinned copper kettles, and made coffee pots, wash basins, lanterns, stills, and funnels.” He quickly established himself as a respected craftsman and began to diversify his business interests.
• The Influence of Thomas Sully & Artistic Development: Eichholtz’s artistic journey took a significant turn when artist James Peale visited Lancaster and became acquainted with him, who commissioned Peale his portrait. Thomas Sully befriended Eichholtz when he was visiting Lancaster on business and accepted his invitation to work in his painting room. At that time, Sully was not impressed by Eichholtz’s attempts in painting calling them hideous, however he left him his brushes as a gift before leaving Lancaster. Later, Sully wrote that he was surprised and gratified to see how much Eichholtz's painting skills improved, and that, “eichholtz would have made a first-rate painter had he begun early in life with the usual advantages.”
• Travel & Artistic Exploration: During the winter of 1811–1812, Eichholtz traveled to Boston where he spent several weeks at the studio of Gilbert Stuart copying his works under Stuart’s supervision. Stuart encouraged Eichholtz to continue painting. He continued to work in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, and exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
• Later Years & Legacy: By 1823, Eichholtz moved to Philadelphia where he, as he later wrote, faced both “an incessant practice of ten years, and constant employment.” He was exhibiting with the society of artists at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Eichholtz relocated back to Lancaster in 1830 where he died in 1842. He and his family were originally interred at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church on South Duke Street in Lancaster, pennsylvania. In the early 1850s, holy trinity church sought to expand its churchyard, so the church relocated the majority of gravestones and the remains to the new Woodward Hill Cemetery, lot 33 of area b, including the remains of Eichholtz and his family. Eichholtz was reburied in the same grave together with both of his wives and their children.

Jacob Eichholtz’s artistic legacy extends beyond his prolific output of portraits. He is remembered as a master craftsman who skillfully blended traditional techniques with an evolving aesthetic, capturing the spirit of his time—and cementing his place among the most important artists of early nineteenth-century America. His works are housed in major museums and historical societies across the United States, ensuring that his vision continues to inspire future generations.