Artwork
Henry La Tourette de Groot
Henry La Tourette de Groot is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Samuel Lovett Waldo. It dates from 1828 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 36.114
- Credit line
- Bequest of Mrs. Thomas Hastings, 1936
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays Henry La Tourette de Groot as a dignified gentleman, rendered in the conventional manner of early‑American portraiture.
The painting portrays Henry La Tourette de Groot as a dignified gentleman, rendered in the conventional manner of early‑American portraiture. The work’s subject is identified only through the artist’s record, which notes the sitter’s name and the portrait genre, suggesting an emphasis on personal identity and social standing in the 1820s. Symbolically, the straightforward pose and subdued attire reflect the era’s preference for sober representation of middle‑class masculinity, while the formal composition underscores the sitter’s cultural relevance within the young republic.
The piece thus functions both as a record of an individual’s appearance and as an embodiment of early‑American portrait conventions.
Technique & Style
Henry La Tourette de Groot is a portrait executed in oil on a wood support. Created in 1827 by Samuel Lovett Waldo, the work is classified within the American Wing genre of portraiture. The painting depicts a male subject and measures 83.8 cm in height by 65.1 cm in width.
As an oil painting on wood panel, the medium reflects the material choices typical of early 19th-century American portraiture. The piece remains part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
The portrait of Henry La Tourette de Groot was executed by Samuel Lovett Waldo in 1827, as recorded by the work's inception date. Painted in oil on wood, the portrait was created during the artist's active period as a leading American portraitist in New York. The painting is documented as belonging to the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified under The American Wing.
Its placement within that curatorial department reflects its status as a nineteenth-century American portrait. No further details regarding the original commission, intermediate owners, or chain of custody prior to the museum's acquisition are recorded in the available documentation.
The portrait of Henry La Tourette de Groot, painted by Samuel Lovett Waldo in 1827, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This oil-on-wood work is classified within the museum's American Wing. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available records, the painting is documented as part of the institution's permanent holdings.
The work measures 83.8 cm in height and 65.1 cm in width. No specific exhibition history or loan records are detailed in the provided sources, though the piece remains a noted example of early 19th-century American portraiture within the museum's collection.
Context
Henry La Tourette de Groot is an 1827 oil portrait by Samuel Lovett Waldo, recorded in The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work, classified as a portrait, measures 83.8 × 65.1 cm and depicts a man, reflecting early nineteenth‑century American portraiture. Its inclusion in the museum’s collection underscores its significance within the trajectory of American genre painting, situating Waldo among the formative figures of the period.
The available documentation does not elaborate on contemporary critical reception or modern scholarly interpretation, but the painting’s provenance and placement within a major institutional collection affirm its recognized status in the history of United States art.
Overview
This oil on wood portrait, titled Henry La Tourette de Groot, was created in 1828 by Samuel Lovett Waldo. It depicts a male sitter, presented in a formal pose. Unusually for its time, this work is a collaboration, with one artist responsible for the sitter's face and another for the drapery and attire, a practice common in early American portraiture but rarely acknowledged in documentation.
Artist & collection
