Artwork
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Thomas Sully. It dates from 1845 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Andrew Jackson sits in formal dress with a stern, serious expression. Thomas Sully painted the portrait in 1845, showing the president in a composed, official setting. To learn more about the play of light and shadow, look up chiaroscuro.
Technique & Style
Thomas Sully's 1845 portrait of Andrew Jackson is executed in oil on canvas, a standard support for his formal portrait practice of the period.
Thomas Sully's 1845 portrait of Andrew Jackson is executed in oil on canvas, a standard support for his formal portrait practice of the period. The work is a relatively modest cabinet-scale composition, measuring 51.8 cm in height by 43.8 cm in width. Stylistically, it belongs to the genre of formal portraiture, with Sully employing oil paint to render the sitter.
The canvas support and oil medium are consistent with the artist's typical approach to commissioned likenesses of prominent American statesmen.
History & Provenance
Thomas Sully’s portrait of Andrew Jackson was painted in 1845 and later entered the artist’s market history through a chain beginning with Francis Preston Blair of Silver Spring, Maryland. By descent it passed to his son-in-law, Rear Admiral Samuel Phillips Lee, and then to Lee’s wife, Elizabeth Blair Lee. Their son, Blair Lee, owned the painting until it was sold in 1932 or 1933 to M. Knoedler & Co., New York.
The firm then sold it on 29 June 1934 to The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust in Pittsburgh. In 1942 the Trust donated the work to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Thomas Sully's 1845 portrait of Andrew Jackson is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., specifically within the Andrew W. Mellon Collection. The work entered the institution as a gift in 1942 from the A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust. Prior to this donation, the Trust acquired the painting from M. Knoedler & Co. in New York; records indicate the purchase occurred on either July 7 or June 29, 1934.
The painting's provenance traces back through the Blair family of Silver Spring, Maryland, including Francis Preston Blair and his descendants, before its sale to Knoedler in 1932 or 1933. The provided sources detail this ownership lineage and final acquisition but do not list specific public exhibition history for the work.
Overview
Thomas Sully's 1845 oil on canvas work, titled Andrew Jackson, presents a formal likeness of the former American president. This painting captures Jackson in a seated pose, conveying a sense of gravity and official presence. As a significant example of 19th-century portraiture, it offers insight into the visual representation of political figures of the era.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait features Andrew Jackson, who served as the seventh President of the United States, seated and formally attired. His serious demeanor and stern expression contribute to an image of authority and resolve. The artist emphasizes Jackson's public persona, presenting him as a figure of considerable influence and historical importance.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas Sully was an English-American portrait painter. He was born in England, became a naturalized American citizen in 1809, and lived most of his life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including in the Thomas Sully…
