Zachariah Schoonmaker

John Vanderlyn painted Zachariah Schoonmaker in 1815 as an oil on canvas portrait. The sitter's son Marius Schoonmaker inherited the work, which later passed to his daughter Ella Schoonmaker Darrow in St. Louis. Thomas B. Clarke acquired the painting on 10 January 1923, and after his death it remained in his estate until its sale in 1936 through M. Knoedler & Co. to the A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, which gifted the work to the National Gallery of Art in 1942.

The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., within the Andrew W. Mellon collection. It was originally owned by the sitter's son Marius Schoonmaker and later passed through several generations before being purchased by Thomas B. Clarke in 1923. The work was subsequently sold from Clarke's estate in 1936 and acquired by the A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, which gifted it to the National Gallery of Art in 1942. It is cataloged under the accession number 1942.7.1.

The painting's legacy is anchored by its inclusion in the Andrew W. Mellon collection, later forming part of the National Gallery of Art's holdings in Washington, D.C. Its provenance traces through the Schoonmaker family before acquisition by Thomas B. Clarke in 1923 and eventual donation to the museum in 1942, ensuring continued public access and scholarly attention.

John Vanderlyn’s oil on canvas portrait of Zachariah Schoonmaker dates from the early nineteenth century, with work commencing in 1815 and reaching completion in 1818. The composition presents a seated figure in period attire, rendered with a sober expression. The painting’s dimensions and current location are not specified, but its formal qualities reflect the artist’s careful observation of clothing texture and surrounding objects.

The sitter, identified as Zachariah Schoonmaker, occupies a chair beside a table bearing books, suggesting a scholarly or professional identity. His serious demeanor and the inclusion of literary items imply an emphasis on intellect or civic virtue, common themes in portraiture of the era, though specific biographical details about Schoonmaker remain undocumented in the source material.