John Nelson Arnold (1834-1909) was an American portrait painter born in Masonville, Connecticut, in 1834. Arnold was a member of The Providence Art Club from its founding in 1880 until his death in 1909.

Having painted a number of Rhode Island governors, his work can be found at the Rhode Island State House. You can also find some examples of his paintings among Brown University’s collection of portraits of prominent people, including two figures associated with Poe and Whitman: John Russell Bartlett and John Hay.

Arnold rendered this oil painting of Sarah Helen Whitman in 1869. This was the portrait that Whitman herself wanted to go down to posterity. You can read more about it here.

In 1905, Arnold published a book titled Arts and Artists in Rhode Island. He died four years later in 1909 at the age of 75. He is buried in Grace Church Cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island.

Grave of John Nelson Arnold at Grace Church Cemetery in Providence. Photos by Levi L. Leland.