(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
53.182.79 verso
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate ink and wash sketch from Thomas Sully'sbook, created between 1810 and 1820, offers a glimpse into the working process of one of America's foremost portraitists. Sully, a British-born who thrived in Philadelphia and New York, blended Neoclassical precision with emerging Romantic sensibility, capturing the elegance of early 19th-century American life Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing since its acquisition via the Rogers Fund in 1953, this modest 9 x 11½-inch sheet reflects the intimate, preparatory nature of artists' sketchbooks during the Federal period. Re...
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...