Self-Portrait

c. 1830s

Seth Wells Cheney

Associated Names
Seth Wells Cheney

Artist, American, 1810 - 1856

The image depicts an upper body portrait of a man facing the viewer straight on. He has strong facial features such as a jawline, brow ridge, and light-colored eyes. His dark brown hair is slightly wavy, brushed back, with some strands falling. The man is wearing a dark garment with a high collar and visible layers underneath. The background shows incomplete watercolor elements and artistic brushstrokes on the right edge. There is also neutral wash of colors, and handwritten text at the bottom of the image.

Media Options

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Artwork overview


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The Cheney Family; Alice F. Williams, Washington, DC; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1958; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Bibliography

1983

  • Simmons, Linda Crocker and with the assistance of Adrianne J. Humphrey, et al. American Drawings, Watercolors, Pastels, and Collages in the Collection of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1983: p. 9, no. 59.

Inscriptions

lower left in graphite by unknown hand: S.W. Cheney / Evidently one of his own / Early attempts at color

Wikidata ID

Q64630810

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