Unidentified Man
c. 1835-44
Medium
Drawing
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Sally Adler with heartfelt gratitude to Emma Joy Linen Dana, George L. Linenâs great-granddaughter, and her four devoted sons, Richard, John, Andrew, and Gordon
Accession Number
S/NPG.2018.8.26
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Unidentified Man** is a compelling portrait drawing by George L (1802–1888), around 1835–1844. Linen, an American artist active in the early 19th century captured this unidentified man's likeness with the precision typical of period portraiture, a popular medium for preserving personal and social identities during a time of rapid national growth in the United States. Drawings like this one served as accessible alternatives to oil paintings, often commissioned by middle-class families to document ancestors or notable figures. The work's historical significance lies in its glimpse into everyd...