The Vanderkemp Children

1832

Thomas Sully

Associated Names
Thomas Sully

Artist, American, born England, 1783 - 1872

Three children are shown from the waist up, closely grouped together and facing the viewer. The child on the left has short blond hair and rosy cheeks, looking slightly upward and holding a book. The child in the center has similar blond hair and a gentle expression, facing slightly towards the other children. The child on the right has slightly darker, light brown hair, an upturned chin, and a subtle smile while looking directly at the viewer. They are dressed in robes or garments with bare shoulders, the central figure in orange and the child on the right in dark brown. The child on the right holds a book, with their hand resting on its cover. The background of the image consists of softly painted muted earthy tones with a warm, subtle light.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Countess Mona Bismarck

  • Dimensions

    overall: 70.9 x 90.5 cm (27 15/16 x 35 5/8 in.)
    framed: 99.1 x 119.4 x 6.4 cm (39 x 47 x 2 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1966.11.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Ehrich Galleries, New York), at least 1920-1921. Countess Mona Bismarck, Paris;[1] gift 1966 to NGA.
[1] The painting is listed as owned by the Ehrich Gallery in Biddle and Fielding 1921. A label on the stretcher includes the line "Owner: Mrs. B. M. Liddell," but she has not been identified. The donor of the painting provided no provenance information.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1832

  • Twenty-First Annual Exhibition of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 1832, no. 95, as Portraits of a Gentleman's Three Children (grouped).

1920

  • Paintings by Thomas Sully, Ehrich Galleries, New York, 1920, unnumbered, as Pauline, Bertha and John Vanderkemp.

1968

  • Springfield Art Festival, Drury College, Springfield, Missouri, 1968, no cat.

1970

  • Two Centuries of American Portraits, University of Kentucky Art Gallery, Lexington; Paducah Art Gallery, Kentucky; J. B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, 1970, no cat.

1973

  • Thomas Sully 1783-1872, Bedford Gallery, Longwood College, Farmville, Virginia, 1973, no. 12.

1976

  • Extended loan for use by The White House, Washington, D.C., 1976-1981.

1983

  • Mr. Sully, Portrait Painter: The Works of Thomas Sully (1783-1872), National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C., 1983, no. 49.

1985

  • Extended loan for use by Ambassador Faith Whittlesey, U.S. Embassy residence, Bern, Switzerland, 1985-1988.

1988

  • Extended loan for use by Ambassador Philip D. Winn, U.S. Embassy residence, Bern, Switzerland, 1988-1990.

1993

  • Extended loan for use by Ambassador Swanee Hunt, U.S. Embassy residence, Vienna, Austria, 1993-1997.

1999

  • Extended loan for use by Ambassador Gerald S. McGowan, U.S. Embassy residence, Lisbon, Portugal, 1999-2001 (unnumbered brochure, repro.).

2005

  • Extended loan for use by Secretary Margaret Spellings, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C., 2005-2008.

Bibliography

1909

  • Hart 1909, no. 1734, 168.

1921

  • Biddle, Edward, and Mantle Fielding. The Life and Works of Thomas Sully (1783-1872). Philadelphia, 1921: no. 1838, 302.

1970

  • American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 114, repro.

1973

  • Flynn, Elizabeth L. Thomas Sully, 1783-1872. Exh. cat. Bedford Gallery, Longwood College, Farmville, Virginia, 1973: 20, repro.

1980

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 245, repro.

1983

  • Fabian, Monroe H. Mr. Sully, Portrait Painter: The Works of Thomas Sully (1783-1872). Exh. cat. National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C., 1983: no. 49, 90, repro.

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 363, repro.

1998

  • Torchia, Robert Wilson, with Deborah Chotner and Ellen G. Miles. American Paintings of the Nineteenth Century, Part II. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1998: 175-178, color repro.

Inscriptions

lower center on portfolio: TS (in monogram) 1832

Wikidata ID

Q20185760

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