Watercolor drawing of the residence of Legrand Sterling in Bridgeport, Connecticut, by J. Frederick Huge, dated 1846. The painting depicts a Greek Revival style mansion prominently situated on a rise of land, with a stone retaining wall and decorative iron fence running along the front of the property, curving around to the street side where it is several feet higher. The white mansion with green shutters is surrounded by young trees and shrubs, suggesting it was recently built and landscaped. Intended to emulate the white marble of a Greek temple, the structure was more likely brick or wood that was painted white. In the foreground on the unpaved street, an elegant blue and black coach is drawn by two chestnut-color horses, and driven by a man wearing a cutaway coat and striped trousers. Two ladies are in the carriage. A shield-shaped crest is painted on the door of the coach. Nearby, a small dog appears to be running up the half-circle driveway in front of the mansion, while on the sidewalk to the right, a gentleman in top hat, two fashionably dressed ladies with small parasols, and a boy rolling a hoop are engaged in their own activities. The home has a flat roofline, and features in the center a square cupola, a room with a window on each side rather like an enclosed form of the rooftop "widow's walk" that was popular in the 1800s. The cupola would allow for views to the distance, likely including to Long Island Sound. The cornice near the roofline is ornamented with a Greek key design. The partial story beneath the cornice features short, horizontal "transom" windows, typical of the Greek Revival style. A deep porch supported by fluted columns wraps around the two visible sides of the house, possibly extending to another side. A pair of tall brick posts flank the stone steps leading up from the driveway. Just beyond the top of the steps, a lattice-work arbor ornaments the walkway to the house. Two other structures, possibly other homes or large outbuildings, can be seen at the left in the background. A bright blue sky adds much of the color in the picture. The picture includes a black mat as part of the drawing, on which the title is written in white, "Residence of Legrand Sterling B.P., Conn." with the man's name drawn in an elaborate style of lettering. The artist's signature and date are located along the bottom right edge of the picture. J. Frederick Huge was a self-taught artist whose primary occupation was as a grocer in Bridgeport; he emigrated from Germany around or just prior to 1830. He was known for his detailed portraits of vessels, as well as scenes of Bridgeport. The gilded frame is original to the piece. This is watercolor on paper, and was originally donated to the Fairfield County Historical Society, the original collecting institute of the now Barnum Museum, in the 1890s. Note that the Fairfield County Historical Society is a different organization than the Fairfield Historical Society. The Sterling family was well known in the city of Bridgeport. Legrand Sterling was born in Trumbull, Connecticut, in 1802, and died in 1877. He is buried in Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport.
