Lothrop Family
The next known location of the painting is in the Lothrop Family, in Grosse Point Michigan. The painting became the property of the Lothrop family, probably through Marie Ducharme Lothrop, who according to her daughter-in-law and the donor of the painting, was a former student of Chase’s and executrix of his will[1]. It is unlikely that Marie Ducharme Lothrop was directly related to Chase's will, as Chase was survived by several family members[2], but it would have been usual for high-society women to be amateur artists themselves, and avid art collectors as a symbol of status and wealth[3].
Marie Ducharme Lothrop married Cyrus E. Lothrop in 1888. Marie Ducharme came from upstate New York, while the Lothrop family had relocated from Easton, Massachusetts to Michigan. The couple continued to be economically successful by investing in the sugar market[4]. It is likely that Marie Ducharme used her family’s wealth to purchase the painting after Chase’s death from a gallery or third party as a status symbol painting. Later, our Mrs. Marion Lewis Lothrop would call the painting her husband’s family treasure, suggesting that the painting had a significance, even though Chase or Mrs. Hale may never have been directly involved in the Lothrop family.
Text Sources:
[1] Marion Lewis Lothrop to Miss Brooks, May 20th, 1950
[2] “Hozier State Chronicles: Indiana’s Digital Newspaper Program.” Chandler Lighty. October 23, 2013. http://blog.newspapers.library.in.gov/notable-hoosier-obits-william-merritt-chase/.
[3] “Detroit Blue Book: A Society Directory for the City of Detroit.” (1885). Detroid Free Press Publishing Company. (Detroit, Michigan). http://tiny.cc/Mrscyrus.
[4] “United States of America, Petitioner, Against the American Sugar Refining Company Et Al. Petitioners Exhibits, Volume 3” United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. (New York) http://tiny.cc/lothroprecords.
Image Sources:
Wheaton College Alumni Relations Office