Past Exhibition

American Paintings from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art

This painting is a portrait of a seated man. His body is facing the right with his head turned to us, a neutral expression on his face. The man has pale skin, rosy cheeks, bright blue eyes, thin lips, and gray hair that curls around his ears. He is dressed formally in a dark red coat with gold buttons and a white cravat at his neck, sitting in a red upholstered chair, holding a book in his right hand. The background consists of red drapery on one side and blue and yellow hues on the other, suggesting a cloudy sky.
Gilbert Stuart, William Thornton, 1804, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1942.8.25

Details

  • Dates

    -

  • Locations

    Ground Floor, Central Gallery
This painting is a portrait of a seated man. His body is facing the right with his head turned to us, a neutral expression on his face. The man has pale skin, rosy cheeks, bright blue eyes, thin lips, and gray hair that curls around his ears. He is dressed formally in a dark red coat with gold buttons and a white cravat at his neck, sitting in a red upholstered chair, holding a book in his right hand. The background consists of red drapery on one side and blue and yellow hues on the other, suggesting a cloudy sky.
Gilbert Stuart, William Thornton, 1804, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1942.8.25

Overview: About 70 paintings were on view, most of them portraits of historical personages. As custodian for a future National Portrait Gallery, the Gallery held 17 of these. Included were The Peacemakers by George Peter Alexander Healy, recently purchased for the White House and lent through the courtesy of President Harry Truman; the portrait of Pocahontas, created when she was on a visit to London; and a recent portrait of General Eisenhower in his distinctive battle jacket.

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