Two Profiles, Possibly of John Adams
Medium
Pastel on gray laid paper
Dimensions
9 1/2 x 7 7/16 in. (24.1 x 18.9 cm)
Classification
Drawing
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Marguerite H. Rohlfs, 1995
Accession Number
1995.379.1 verso
Tags
About this artwork
This double portrait exemplifies the profile portrait tradition that flourished in late 18th and early 19th-century America, when such images offered affordable alternatives to full-face oil portraits. British-born artist James Sharples specialized in pastel profile portraits, creating a significant body of work documenting American political and social elites during the Federal period. Executed in pastel on gray laid paper, this work may depict John Adams, second President of the United States,...
Art Historical Context
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, profile portraits like *Two Profiles, Possibly of Adams* offered an elegant, affordable alternative to grand oil paintings, capturing the silhouettes of America's emerging elite. British-born artist Jamesples, who arrived in the United States in 179, mastered this format in pastel on gray laid paper. This 9½ × 7⅜-inch work may show John Adams, the nation's second president, rendered twice—perhaps from different angles or moments—highlighting the genre's focus on outline over facial details, which often complicates precise identification. Sharples bui...
About the Artist
James Sharples · 1751–1811
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