(From Sketchbook)
1810–20
Medium
Ink, wash, on paper
Dimensions
9 x 11 1/2 in. (22.9 x 29.2 cm)
Classification
Drawing
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.182.69 recto
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled within Thomas Sully's sketchbook from around 1810–20, this intimate ink and wash drawing on paper (9 x 11½ in.) captures the artist's exploratory genius. Sully, a leading American portrait painter of the early 19th century was renowned for his elegant, Reynolds-inspired style that blended British finesse with New World vigor. Born in England and trained in the U.S., he produced luminous portraits of figures like Queen Victoria and Andrew Jackson, but his sketchbooks reveal the raw, preparatory side of his process. Rendered in fluid ink lines and subtle washes for tonal depth, the work...
About the Artist
Thomas Sully · 1783–1872
Thomas Sully, born on June 19, 1783, in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England, to actor parents Matthew Sully and Sarah Chester, emigrated with his family to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1792. Raised in a theatrical environment, young Thomas debuted as a tumbler at age 11 before discovering his artistic talent. He studied miniature painting with his brother Lawrence Sully, brother-in-law Jean Belzon...