Textile Merchant

c. 1840

American 19th Century

Associated Names
American 19th Century

Artist

This painting shows the upper body of a man seated at a table. He is holding a quill over a sheet of paper, and his body is turned slightly to the right as he looks out at us. He has a fair complexion, large green eyes, a straight nose, and a neutral expression. He has dark, wavy hair, and is dressed in a formal black jacket with a white shirt underneath, a black bow tie, and a yellow waistcoat adorned with a gold-colored chain and a pin. On the brown table he sits behind, there is an ink pot with another quill in it, and a thick brown book partially covered by the paper he writes on. Behind his head are rolls of patterned fabric on shelves, along with several blue boxes. The walls are a dark green color, and on the right is a bright red curtain with a black pattern on the gold-fringed edges.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Recorded as from Darien, Connecticut. Purchased in Binghamton, New York, by (Thurston Thacher, Hyde Park, New York),[1] by whom sold in 1950 to Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch; gift to NGA, 1953.
[1] Thurston Thacher added to the provenance: "The portrait was purchased in Binghamton, N.Y. and found at Norwich, N.Y. The owners were related to the subject in the portrait but not directly in line and did not know much about it except that it came from Darien, Conn." (excerpt from letter to the Garbisches of unknown date, in NGA curatorial files).

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1954

  • American Primitive Paintings from the Collection of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, Part I, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1954, no. 72.

1955

  • American Primitive Pantings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1955.

1968

  • The American Primitive Paintings Exhibit, organized by the Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, California, for de Saisset Art Gallery, University of Santa Clara, 1968.

1972

  • Untitled exhibition, Alexandria Mental Health Association Benefit, Mulrooney Hall, Alexandria, Virginia, 1972, no cat.

Bibliography

1970

  • American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 152, repro.

1980

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 299, repro.

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: 606-608, color repro. 607.

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 428, repro.

Inscriptions

at top of paper: Darien

Wikidata ID

Q20186869

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