Artwork
Joseph W. Drexel
Joseph W. Drexel is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Jacob Hart Lazarus. It dates from 1877 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This oil on canvas depicts Joseph W.
About this work
A well-dressed man sits in a dark chair, one hand on a book, the other holding his glasses. Jacob Hart Lazarus painted it in 1877, as photography was taking hold, and packed the canvas with detail down to the glint on the watch chain. The sitter, banker and music lover Joseph Drexel, gives nothing away behind a serious face.
Subject & Meaning
As a genre piece classified within the American tradition, the painting's primary subject is the individual himself, presenting him as a man of stature.
The work is a formal portrait depicting Joseph William Drexel, executed by Jacob Hart Lazarus in 1877. As a genre piece classified within the American tradition, the painting's primary subject is the individual himself, presenting him as a man of stature. The iconography is straightforward, focusing on the likeness and presence of Drexel rather than allegorical figures or complex narrative symbolism.
The composition serves to document the sitter's appearance and status during the late 19th century, capturing his physical features and likely his social standing through the conventions of formal portraiture of the era.
Technique & Style
Joseph W. Drexel is rendered in oil paint on a canvas support, a medium Jacob Hart Lazarus employed in his portraiture. The handling shows smooth, controlled brushwork that captures the sitter's facial features and attire with precise detail, while the background remains subdued to focus attention on the figure. Stylistically, the work reflects the realist tendencies of late-19th-century American portraiture, emphasizing naturalistic coloration and a restrained palette.
The sources do not provide information on the painting's current condition or technical nuances beyond the oil-on-canvas technique.
History & Provenance
The portrait Joseph W. Drexel (1877) by Jacob Hart Lazarus depicts the financier Joseph William Drexel, a member of the Philadelphia Drexel banking family and a brother of Anthony J. Drexel. The work was completed in 1877. By 1900 the painting had entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it remains.
Its dimensions are recorded as 76.5 cm in height and 64.8 cm in width, and it is catalogued as an oil-on-canvas portrait. No exhibition history is documented in the provided sources.
Overview
This oil on canvas depicts Joseph W. Drexel, a notable figure of his time, in a formal portrait completed in 1877. The sitter is presented seated in a dark chair, holding a book and a pair of glasses, conveying a quiet and serious disposition. This work is part of The American Wing collection.
Context
The creation of this portrait in 1877 coincided with the increasing accessibility and popularity of photography. This development challenged traditional portrait painters to redefine their craft. Artists responded by emphasizing qualities unique to painting, such as the ability to imbue a subject with psychological depth or to render textures and light with a nuanced hand that cameras of the era could not replicate.
Artist & collection
