Courtlandt Palmer (1800–1874)

The elder Courtlandt Palmer’s money preceded the family’s more conspicuous artistic experiments. He built a hardware business in New York, survived heavy losses in the financial crisis of 1837, and invested in property. His holdings and business appointments made him a substantial figure in the city’s commercial life.

He served as president of the Stonington and Providence Railroad from 1844 to 1848 and participated in other financial enterprises. Contemporary business biography presents these activities as evidence of enterprise and judgment. Such celebratory writing establishes useful dates and offices while leaving labor, tenants, and the consequences of accumulation largely outside its account.

His son Courtlandt, born in 1843, founded the Nineteenth-Century Club. Eva Palmer was his granddaughter. His connection to Natalie is consequently indirect, through the resources and family history of Eva, rather than through a documented personal encounter.