Born in Scotland, Baron attended College at Aberdeen and Medical School at Edinburgh. In 1769 Baron came to Charleston, and over the next decades he acquired an extensive practice which included a specialty in obstetrics. He was one of the founders of the Medical Society of South Carolina and served for twenty-eight years as president of the St. Andrew's Society, the oldest charitable society in the state.
One of three versions, this portrait varies slightly from the others, presenting him more in profile. The spectacles are on his forehead in all three, indicating perhaps a peculiar habit of the doctor. As Dr. Baron died January 9, 1819, it seems likely that this version was painted posthumously. The color is somber and the stippling somewhat methodically applied.
Notes:
This text is adapted from Martha Severens "The Miniature Portrait Collection of the Carolina Art Association" published by the Carolina Art Association, 1984
Scroll