Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
1983.02 |
Object Name |
Painting |
Title |
Portrait of Julian Parks Boyd |
Artist |
Abbot, Scaisbrooke Langhorne |
Date |
1982/3 |
Description |
Three-quarter-length figure, with fair complexion, short white hair and white moustache, seated facing forward in upholstered chair. His left arm rests on table covered with a green cloth. His right hand holds red book. Figure wears a two-piece grey suit with a light colored button down shirt and red/white polka dot bow tie. Inscribed "S. L. Abbot 1983" on lower right corner of the portait. Portrait based on photograph. |
Label |
This portrait depicts historian Julian Parks Boyd, president of the APS from 1973 to 1976. Boyd held several prestigious positions during his lifetime, including director of the New York State Historical Association, president of the American Historical Association, and librarian and professor of history at Princeton University. He is well-remembered as the editor of a new edition of the Papers of Thomas Jefferson, an enormous project begun in 1944 that still continues today. The project inspired many other new editions of the papers of American statesmen. Most famously, Boyd and a group of friends purchased the site of the Battle of Hastings, where the Norman Conquest of England occurred in 1066. In 1976, the privately owned land was put up for public auction. Sponsored by the Royal Oak Foundation, Boyd and seven others (including other APS members and philanthropist Paul Mellon), raised $400,000, won the auction, and presented the site to Great Britain to commemorate the U.S. Bicentennial. To honor his actions, Queen Elizabeth named Boyd an Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire. |
Medium |
Oil on canvas |
Dimensions |
H-38.5 W-34.25 inches |
Dimension Details |
Framed |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society |
Search Terms |
20th century twentieth century painting APS President |