Artwork
Aaron Baldwin
Aaron Baldwin is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Francis Alexander. It dates from 1835 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work titled "Aaron Baldwin" is a portrait painted in 1835 by Francis Alexander on a wood panel using oil.
The work titled "Aaron Baldwin" is a portrait painted in 1835 by Francis Alexander on a wood panel using oil. It depicts the sitter Aaron Baldwin, identified through the painting's title and documented lineage. As a 19th-century portrait, the image functions to record the individual's appearance and social identity, while its passage through inheritance to the National Gallery of Art reflects its role as a familial and historical record.
Technique & Style
Created in 1835, this portrait by Francis Alexander is executed in oil paint on a wood panel support. The work measures 64.5 cm in height and 54.2 cm in width. The application of oil on a rigid wooden board reflects standard portrait practices of the early nineteenth century, providing a durable surface for the artist's technique.
History & Provenance
Aaron Baldwin was painted in 1835 by Francis Alexander using oil on wood panel. The painting passed by inheritance in 1862 to the sitter's daughter, Elizabeth Adelaide Baldwin Cushing of Boston, then to her husband Thomas Cushing, their son Herbert Baldwin Cushing, and subsequently to Herbert's daughter Constance Cushing Bessey of Minot, Massachusetts. In 1945 Constance Bessey gifted the portrait to the National Gallery of Art, where it resides today.
Legacy
The portrait painted by Francis Alexander in 1835 entered the National Gallery of Art through a documented chain of inheritance and donation, beginning with the sitter's daughter and passing to the museum in 1945.
Its presence in a leading U.S. institution has ensured scholarly attention to Alexander's technique and the visual culture of early-19th-century Boston, contributing to the painting's reputation as a representative example of American portraiture from the period.
Overview
This painting, titled Aaron Baldwin, is a portrait executed in oil on wood by the artist Francis Alexander. Created around 1835, it presents a formal depiction of a man. The artwork captures its subject with a direct gaze, rendered against a subdued background, characteristic of portraiture from the period.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
