Cogdell was a close friend of Fraser and, like him, was both lawyer and artist. Admitted to the Bar in 1799, he also served in the South Carolina House of Representatives (1810 - 1818) and became comptroller General of the State in 1819. In 1832 he was elected President of the Bank of South Carolina. As an artist he was a painter -- of religious subjects, such as the Crucifixion in St. Mary's Catholic Church, as well as of portraits -- and as a sculptor he carved busts and memorials, such as the one to his mother in St. Philip's Church.
In CogdeIl's portrait, which is traditionally dated 1841, Fraser has presented a convincing likeness of a man he would have known well. The frontal pose, which sets up direct contact between sitter and spectator, helps to reveal CogdeIl's character as an intelligent, yet sympathetic individual.
Notes:
This text is adapted from Martha Severens "The Miniature Portrait Collection of the Carolina Art Association" published by the Carolina Art Association, 1984
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