Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
58.P.12 |
Object Name |
Painting |
Title |
Portrait of Thomas Jefferson |
Artist |
Sully, Thomas |
Date |
begun 1821, finished 1830 |
Description |
Half-length portrait with body turned slightly to his left and head turned to his right, in front of a light tan background. Subject has blonde, graying hair, gray eyes, and a rosy complexion. He is wearing a brown overcoat with a fur collar, a dark blue coat and waistcoat, a vermilion inner waistcoat, and a white collar and neckcloth. The original canvas was signed on the back with Thomas Sully's monogram, and the inscription, "From Jefferson 1821. Finished in 1830." Unsigned and undated on canvas front. |
Label |
To complete a portrait of Thomas Jefferson commissioned by the United States Military Academy, Thomas Sully stayed for twelve days at Monticello, making sketches and painting the half-length study seen here. Jefferson was concerned that the artist's "fine pencil would be illy [sic] bestowed" on a man of seventy-eight years. Sully's vividly colored and loose-flowing brushstrokes, however, give his sitter a sense of freshness and vitality. After delivering the completed large-scale work to the Academy, Sully kept this study and produced several copies. He touched up the original study in 1830 before Jefferson's protégé William Short obtained the canvas and donated it to the APS. |
Medium |
Oil on canvas |
Dimensions |
H-37.5 W-32.5 inches |
Dimension Details |
Framed |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society. Gift of William Short, 1830. |
Search Terms |
19th century nineteenth century Founding Father painting president APS President |