The Salmon Brook Historical Society proudly displays a remarkable collection of Aaron Draper Shattuck’s paintings in its Preservation Barn, thoughtfully organized and displayed by Curator Martha Miller.
Aaron Draper Shattuck is remembered as one of Granby’s most colorful and creative citizens. Born in Francestown, New Hampshire, on March 9, 1832, he was one of nine children. Shattuck pursued his secondary education in Lowell, Mass., and at the age of 22, in 1854, he moved to Boston. There, he paid five dollars a week for rent and $17 a week for painting lessons from Alexander Ransome. According to his diary, he had only $167 to his name at that time.
Fortunately, Shattuck excelled in his painting career. He was able to exhibit and sell his works, making a living through his art. Initially, he focused on portraits but soon transitioned to landscapes of New England. He painted in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. His works, which sold for $90 to $100 each, were exhibited in New York City and Boston. Over the next 30 years, Shattuck captured landscapes of mountains, oceans, fields of sheep, cows and the prized elm trees in Granby. In 1864, he exhibited alongside Samuel Cole and Jervis McEntee at the H.H. Leeds and Company auction, where he earned $2,300 for 21 paintings. His painting White Hills sold for $2,000 at the Centennial Celebration in Philadelphia in 1876. From 1854 to 1884, Shattuck earned a significant amount of money from his art.
In addition to his artistic achievements, Shattuck had an inventive mind. In 1882, he petitioned the Department of the Interior for a patent on a Key Stretcher, a device designed to hold a canvas tighter in its frame. Two years later, he received the patent and went on to sell five different types of stretchers, ranging from $2.21 for a small one to $6.72 for a large one. Manufactured in New Britain, he sold 3,000,000 stretchers during his lifetime to fellow artists, who in turn sold them to others. Each stretcher came with nails and screws.
In 1888, at age 56, Shattuck experienced a near-fatal illness when he contracted both measles and pneumonia. This condition severely impaired his vision, nearly blinding him. Consequently, he ceased painting and fell into a slight depression. Nevertheless, his inventive spirit remained undiminished. He purchased a 28-acre farm at 108 West Granby Road in 1870, where he kept cows and sheep and cultivated plants. Shattuck experimented with cross-breeding livestock to produce cows with longer horns, chickens that laid eggs with three yolks, and strawberries as large as tomatoes. He also attempted to create four-leaf clovers.
Aaron Draper Shattuck passed away at the age of 96 on July 30, 1928. He is buried in the Granby Cemetery alongside his wife, Marion, and many of their children and grandchildren.
We invite you to view the brilliant work of Aaron Draper Shattuck at the Salmon Brook Historical Society on Sunday, Sept. 28, from 2 to 4 p.m. The Society is grateful to Dave Kimball for his many years and long hours in completing the Aaron Draper Shattuck Catalogue Raissone.
For more information about Aaron Draper Shattuck or to learn how to join the Salmon Brook Historical Society, please call 860-653-9713 or visit salmonbrookhistoricalsociety.com