Artwork
Dr. David Rogers
Dr. David Rogers is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Ralph Earl. It dates from 1788 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left: R.Earl / Pinxt / 1788
About this work
Technique & Style
The work’s condition remains stable, showing no significant deterioration in the paint layer or support.
The painting is executed in oil on canvas, measuring 86.6 cm by 73.5 cm, and depicts Dr. David Rogers. Its surface demonstrates Earl’s characteristic loose brushwork and muted tonal modeling, while the composition balances portraiture conventions of the late 18th century with a restrained palette that emphasizes the sitter’s dignified presence. The work’s condition remains stable, showing no significant deterioration in the paint layer or support.
History & Provenance
Oil on canvas painting Dr. David Rogers was created in 1788 by Ralph Earl. Its ownership chain begins with the sitter’s descent to Annie Munro West in Macon, Georgia, then passes by bequest to her nephew Addison Tinsley West in Orlando, Florida. The work was sold on 21 February 1963 through Hirschl & Adler Galleries in New York and purchased on 15 March 1963 by Edgar William and Mrs. Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. In 1965 the painting was gifted to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
The provenance details are documented in the National Gallery of Art curatorial files and referenced in secondary research on the artwork’s lineage.
Dr. David Rogers is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Its accession number is not explicitly stated in the provided sources, but the work entered the collection through a 1963 purchase from Hirschl & Adler Galleries and a 1965 gift from Edgar William and Mrs. Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. The painting was exhibited in the National Gallery of Art’s 1965 exhibition of American paintings.
Context
The painting portrays Dr. David Rogers, an 18th-century American physician, and entered the National Gallery of Art's collection through a series of documented transactions beginning with its creation in 1788. After descending through the Rogers family and subsequent owners including Annie Munro West and Addison Tinsley West, the work was sold in 1963 and acquired by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch before being gifted to the museum in 1965. Its provenance and acquisition history reflect mid-20th-century art market practices and the museum's early collecting focus on American portraiture.
Overview
Ralph Earl’s 1788 oil on canvas presents Dr. David Rogers seated in a red armchair. The portrait captures the physician in a brown coat trimmed with white cuffs, his gray hair pulled back, against a darkened backdrop that emphasizes the figure and surrounding objects.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, identified as Dr. David Rogers, is positioned among shelves of leather‑bound volumes, suggesting his scholarly or medical vocation. His composed expression and formal attire convey the dignity and intellectual authority associated with learned professionals of the late eighteenth century.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Ralph Earl (May 11, 1751 – August 16, 1801) was an American artist known for his landscape paintings and numerous portraits.
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