American School (Mid 19th Century), Portrait of Dr. Thomas Curtis

Oil on canvas (lined), not signed, presented in an ornate giltwood frame with galley plaque reading "Thomas Curtis / Founder and President / 1845-1859".

Stretcher size 444 1/4 x 34 1/4 in.; Frame dimensions 52 x 42 in.

From the Historic Collection of Limestone University, Gaffney, South Carolina
Limestone College, now Limestone University, was founded in 1845 in Gaffney, South Carolina, by English-born Baptist minister Dr. Thomas Curtis and his son William. Originally established as the Limestone Springs Female High School, it was among the first women’s colleges in the nation and the very first in the state. The institution found its early roots in a former resort hotel near healing springs, later struggling due to the Civil War and Reconstruction. It revived in 1881 as the Cooper‑Limestone Institute, thanks to benefaction from industrialist Peter Cooper, and adopted the name Limestone College.

Dr. Thomas Curtis (1797–1872) was an American Baptist minister, educator, and visionary who founded Limestone College (later Limestone University). In 1845, recognizing the need for women’s higher education in the South, Dr. Curtis's mission was to provide young women with rigorous academic instruction grounded in Christian values at a time when such opportunities were scarce.

The painting has been lined, age cracking, some scattered areas of repair to the background, retouching to the face.