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John Durand, The Rapalje Children
Oil on canvas, 50¾″ x 40″
1768, New-York Historical Society

Durand’s painting of the four children of this prominent mercantile family of Manhattan is one of the finest examples of group portraiture from the colonial period in America. From left to right are Garret (b. 1757), George (b. 1759), Anne (b. 1762), and Jacques (b. 1752).

The painter had come to New York from Virginia two years previous to paint individual portraits of the children of the Beekman family. Art historians suspect he was born or trained in France. Durand later returned to Virginia, where he continued to paint until his death in 1805.

Published at 8:15 pm on Monday 8 October 2007. Categories: Art Netherlands New York.
Comments

Nicely posed, but I’d give pretty much all of Copley’s portraits higher marks.

This does make me very motivated to visit the NY Historical Society when I’m in NYC over Thanksgiving, though.

ScurvyOaks 9 Oct 2007 5:09 pm

NYHS is worth a visit.

PLK 10 Oct 2007 11:34 am

I came across this painting while searching for pictures of one of my favourite bands, named Rapalje.

Rapalje is an old Dutch word meaning something like ‘scum’ or ‘riffraff’.

Is Rapalje their family name?? That’d be funny…

Saskia 11 Feb 2009 6:40 pm

Their name was Rapareillet. They were French silk weavers and escaped to England and Netherlands to avoid persecution as they were Protestants and at that time there was Catholic Rule. Their name spelling got changed by the Dutch to Rapalje. Joris Rapalje and Catalina Trico Rapalje came to the New New Netherlands (New York) in the 1600’s. They are some of my ancestors. I descend from their daughter Sarah Rapalje and her first husband Hans Hansen Bergen.

Vicky Moon 18 May 2010 12:58 pm

Hello Vicki I am also a direct descendant of Sara Rapalje! My grandfather was a Rapelje and when I was a young girl my mother and aunt took my sister and me and our cousin to New York to see this painting, and pieces of furniture from the Rapelje homestead in Hopewell Jct. NY. We have a postcard of this painting and also a historical marker stating,”Fort Orange birthplace of Sara Rapelje, First White Child born in what is now New York State”. There was a “Rapelje” family reunion near Fishkill NY about 40 years ago where we had the opportunity to meet many descendants with many varieties of the Rapelje spellings.

Maureen Temple 26 Jul 2013 6:06 am

The Family was from Picardie in Northern France then? Hugenots? Fleeing the St Bartolemeus Massacre? Did the family speak “Koeter Waals” French/Flemish. My family is from Poperinge, now Belgium. I would love to learn more about the Rapalje family. Does the family have a website?

Gilbert Berat 10 Dec 2013 7:50 pm

I am married to William Jerome Rapelje. We have been married for
48 years. Bill and I live in Ca. Bill was born in London Ontario Canada and lived in Iowa, Indiana. Bill’s Father John M. Rapelje was named for John M. Rapelje founder of Rapelje, Mt. lived in Indianapolis, Indiana. Bill’s sister Nancy is still living in Indiana.

Ann Rapelje 12 Mar 2015 3:53 am

I, too, am a descendant of the Rapelje family. Aletta Rapelje Foster was my 2nd great grandmother, and the daughter of St. Thomas Founder, Daniel Rapelje. I hav been researching this family along with the Foster Family, descendants of Reginald Foster of Ipswich, MA.

Aletta Rapelje married Horace Foster and had a son, Ezekiel, my great grandfather. Ezekiel married Elizabeth Jane Waite in the Old Church at St. Thomas and they moved to Iowa in about 1858. My grandfather was born in 1861 in Iowa and came west to Washington State in the late 1880s on horseback.

Julie Foster Backous

Julie Foster Backous 29 Feb 2016 5:12 am

My family has an ancestor who married a Rapalje, according to a rather inaccurate family lore written in the 1800s. “Sarah [McConnell b.1756] married a Rapilia, brother of General Rapilia of the War of 1812.” It’s highly doubtful the information is accurate but there may be some value to it. We are hoping to find out 6x great-aunt. Our family was from the Rensselaer & Westchester Counties area, and had ties to Loughborough, MA.

Susan 19 Feb 2018 3:07 am

I am also a descendant of Sara. I love this painting. My grandmother had it hanging in her house when I was younger. One day during American History class in grade school, I saw this painting in our text book. I raised my hand and let the teacher know these were my distant relatives. She did not believe me. Our name has obviously changed over the years, but it is a variation. I enjoyed reading everyone’s comments.

Clare Rappleyea 14 Sep 2018 2:39 am

I am looking for information about a Joris Rapalje who married Marytie Field. Their child, Jeremiah, was born in 1742.

Joan Young 2 Sep 2020 12:24 am

I have found that I am a descendant of Jeronymus Jorise Rapalje, the second child of Joris and Catalina.

Joan Young 2 Sep 2020 2:01 am

” … and at that time there was Catholic Rule.”

(see above, fourth comment).

Ye Gods, so once there was, but now, cry Ichabod, for the glory has departed.

L G Clark 3 Sep 2020 8:41 pm

I am a descendant of the second girl in the Joris Jansen Rapalje family (Maria or Marretje). Has anyone researched what happened to the Rapalje children in this painting?

Lee 4 Jun 2021 6:53 am

Joan Young, I am also descended from Jeronimus Rapalje. Our branch changed the spelling with George Rappleye, born 1706. It’s been very interesting reading through the comments and gathering new information and confirming other information that’s been passed don in the family.

Elaine Burke 27 Jun 2021 10:10 pm
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