Portrait of John D. Rockefeller
1858
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1858
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Portrait of John D. Rockefeller is a 1858 by William C. North, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A man in a dark suit sits stiffly against a plain gray background. His face is smooth, almost waxy, and his eyes look past you. This portrait was painted from a photograph—unusual for the time. Rockefeller was only 18 here, years before he built his oil empire. The artist, a local photographer, caught him early, before fame changed his face. If you like quiet portraits of powerful people, look up *The Cleveland Museum of Art*.
This elegant, spare portrait unites two significant figures in the history of Cleveland. Its subject is oil magnate and entrepreneur John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937), the founder of Standard Oil and perhaps the world’s first billionaire. His photograph was taken by William C. North, arguably the most eminent early Cleveland photographer.
John D. Rockefeller was around 18 and working as an assistant bookkeeper when he went to have his portrait taken.
Read the full account in the museum source.
William C. North (1814–1890) was an American artist.
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