Treasured Landscapes

James Hamilton Shegogue
ca. 1855

The subject of this painting, a young Stephen Kelly, was from New York. He grew up to be a physician and banker. Kelly married Julia Davis, the younger daughter of Natchez planter and attorney George Malin Davis and his wife Elizabeth.

When Davis and his wife returned to their downtown home, Choctaw, after the end of Union occupation, Julia and Stephen Kelly resided at Melrose. They had one son named George Malin Davis Kelly. After Julia died of tuberculosis in 1877, George inherited Melrose, three other Natchez mansions, and thousands of acres of plantation land. His family lived at Melrose until 1975.

Oil on canvas. H 109.2, W 149.9 cm
Natchez National Historical Park, NATC 25