Portrait of a Man (Possibly Peter Vogelsang Sr.)
probably 1829
Painter
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The identity of this elegantly dressed man has long been a mystery — but the painting provides many clues. We can read the name of the steamship (New Philadelphia) and identify the landscape as the Hudson River Palisades in New Jersey or New York. Research based on these details now suggests that the sitter may be Peter Vogelsang Sr. (c. 1793 – 1844).
Newspaper references link Vogelsang to steamship companies based in New York during the 1820s. He was also part of an elite circle of African American men throughout the Northeast who engaged in debates about abolishing slavery. Someone in his position may have been able to commission a portrait and sit for it in a refined suit like this one.
Information on this painting can be found in the Gallery publication American Naive Paintings, pages 572-574, which is available as a free PDF.
West Building Main Floor, Gallery 63
Artwork overview
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Medium
oil on wood
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Credit Line
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Dimensions
overall: 49.5 x 34.3 cm (19 1/2 x 13 1/2 in.)
framed: 56 x 40.9 x 3.8 cm (22 1/16 x 16 1/8 x 1 1/2 in.) -
Accession
1953.5.22
Artwork history & notes
Provenance
Recorded as from Baltimore. (G.A. Berlinsky, Baltimore); sold 1948 to Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch; gift 1953 to NGA.
Associated Names
Bibliography
1970
American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 148, repro., as Portrait of a Man.
1980
American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 292, repro., as Portrait of a Man.
1984
Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 538, no. 810, color repro., as Portrait of a Man.
1992
Chotner, Deborah, with contributions by Julie Aronson, Sarah D. Cash, and Laurie Weitzenkorn. American Naive Paintings. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1992: 572-574, color repro. 573.
American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 417, repro.
Inscriptions
on steamboat: NEW / PHILADELPHIA; incised into paint on reverse (no longer visible, photograph in object file [1953.5.22] in NGA curatorial records): 1829
Wikidata ID
Q20185663