Artwork
Eliza Welch Stone
Eliza Welch Stone is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Thomas Skynner. It dates from 1845 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work remained in New York before being acquired by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, who gifted it to the National Gallery of Art in 1953.
The painting titled Eliza Welch Stone, executed by Thomas Skynner in 1845, is an oil on canvas portrait. It portrays the sitter, Eliza Welch Stone, in a conventional manner typical of mid‑nineteenth‑century American portraiture, emphasizing her genteel appearance and social standing. The work remained in New York before being acquired by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, who gifted it to the National Gallery of Art in 1953.
Today it is part of the Gallery’s collection in Washington, D.C., where it is displayed as a representative example of early American portrait painting.
Technique & Style
Eliza Welch Stone is rendered in oil paint on a canvas support, a typical medium for mid‑nineteenth‑century American portraiture. The work is classified as a portrait, presenting the sitter in a straightforward likeness that emphasizes facial features and attire. No detailed descriptions of brush handling or current condition are provided in the sources, but the painting remains in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, where it is preserved as an oil on canvas work.
History & Provenance
Thomas Skynner completed the portrait in 1845 using oil on canvas; the work belongs to the portrait genre. It was recorded as having been in New York before entering the United States market.
Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch purchased the painting in 1951 and subsequently gifted it to the National Gallery of Art in 1953, where it remains on view.
The work measures 76.7 cm × 61.2 cm and is catalogued in the Gallery’s collection.
The painting Eliza Welch Stone (1845) by Thomas Skynner is an oil on canvas portrait held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It entered the museum’s collection in 1953 as a gift from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. The work measures 76.7 cm by 61.2 cm and is catalogued in the National Gallery of Art’s collection. No exhibition history is documented in the available sources;.
Overview
Thomas Skynner's oil on canvas portrait, Eliza Welch Stone, created around 1845, captures a seated woman in a composed pose. This work exemplifies characteristics of the Romantic movement, which often highlighted individual sentiment and personal experience. The painting presents its subject with a serene demeanor within a domestic setting, inviting viewers to contemplate her presence.
Context
Created during the mid-19th century, Eliza Welch Stone is situated within the broader context of Romanticism. This artistic movement, prevalent across Europe and America, prioritized subjective experience, emotional expression, and the celebration of the individual. Skynner's portrait reflects these ideals by presenting a specific person with an emphasis on her unique presence and an understated emotional resonance, characteristic of the era's artistic trends.
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