Francis Asbury
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
NPG.90.82
Tags
About this artwork
(David Dunton, Woodbury,Conn.); purchased 1990 NPG
Art Historical Context
**Francis Asbury** (1813), a compelling portrait by American painter John Paradise (178–1833), captures revered Methodist bishop in his later years. Painted during a pivotal era in American religious history, this oil painting—now housed in the Smithsonian American Museum's National Portrait Gallerydepicts Asbury, often called the "Father of Americanism," likely with a Bible, symbolizing his devotion to scripture and evangelism. Francis Asbury (1745–1816), tagged here as a male bishop and founder of a religious order, emigrated from England to the American colonies in 1771. As superintendent ...