Artwork
Richard Mentor Johnson
Richard Mentor Johnson is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist John Neagle. It dates from 1843 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The 1843 portrait of Richard Mentor Johnson by John Neagle is executed in oil on canvas, a standard medium for American portraiture of the period.
The 1843 portrait of Richard Mentor Johnson by John Neagle is executed in oil on canvas, a standard medium for American portraiture of the period. The canvas support measures 75.9 by 63 centimeters, yielding a moderately sized, upright format suited to a half- or three-quarter-length seated portrait. The work is classified as a painting within the portrait genre and is now held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., having been acquired in 2014 from the Corcoran Gallery of Art. No further details regarding handling, condition, or specific stylistic qualities are documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
John Neagle executed this oil-on-canvas portrait of Richard Mentor Johnson in 1843. The work remained in the artist's possession until it was sold at his estate auction by M. Thomas & Sons in Philadelphia on March 31, 1866. Sometime prior to 1868, Benjamin Ogle Tayloe of Washington acquired the painting.
Upon Tayloe's death in 1868, ownership likely passed to his second wife, Phoebe Warren Tayloe. She gifted the portrait to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington in 1878, a transaction that was renegotiated in 1902. The painting remained in the Corcoran's collection until its acquisition by the National Gallery of Art in 2014.
The painting Richard Mentor Johnson (oil on canvas, 1843) is presently in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it was acquired in 2014 after being part of the Corcoran Gallery of Art's holdings; its accession number is not published in the available records. Previously it entered the Corcoran Gallery in 1878, following a gift from Benjamin Ogle Tayloe's widow, and remained on view there until the museum's collection was transferred to the National Gallery. The work has been exhibited as part of the Corcoran's portrait exhibitions and, more recently, within the National Gallery's American portrait galleries, allowing public access to the piece.
Overview
This oil on canvas painting, titled Richard Mentor Johnson, was created by artist John Neagle in 1843. The work presents a seated portrait of Richard Mentor Johnson, who served as a vice president of the United States. As a painted likeness, it offers a visual record of a notable historical figure from the mid-19th century, capturing his appearance through the medium of oil paint.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure in the portrait is Richard Mentor Johnson, depicted in a formal, seated pose. Dressed in period attire, Johnson's likeness is rendered with attention to specific facial features and the details of his hands. This painting serves as a direct visual representation of the former vice president, providing contemporary viewers with an impression of his physical presence during his lifetime.
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Artist & collection
Artist
John Neagle (November 4, 1796 – September 17, 1865) was a fashionable American painter, primarily of portraits, during the first half of the 19th century in Philadelphia.
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