Portrait of a Man

DateProbably 1830-1835

Attributed to Rufus Porter (1792-1884)

MediumWatercolor and ink on wove paper

DimensionsPrimary Support : 4 x 3in. (10.2 x 7.6cm) and Framed: 8 x 7in.

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1958.300.14

DescriptionHalf-length, full-face portrait of a gentlemen who faces slightly to his right. He wears a black-brown coat with velvet collar, a yellow vest, and a white cravat with a gold anchor pin attached. The facial features are delicately rendered in a somewhat academic style, minute brush strokes produce detailed shading of the face. The sitter has blue eyes and brown hair which is brushed back from the face. The ear is rendered in a flat manner, giving away the artist's lack of academic training. Pencil guidelines along two edges.
Label TextFull-face poses presented a greater challenge to many artists and were more time-consuming and thus more expensive than "side-views" or profiles. An 1815-1820 handbill of Rufus Porter's indicates that he charged three times as much for the former as the latter. Although Porter seems to have been offering full-face likenesses as early as 1820-1825, the pose appears infrequently in his work before 1830-1835. This unidentified man and his companion (accession no. 1958.300.15), whom Porter also portrayed full-face, are fairly convincingly rendered. Yet the artist betrayed his reliance on habit and formula in the treatment of their ears, which are still depicted in full profile.
MarkingsNone found
ProvenanceJ. Stuart Halladay and Herrel George Thomas, Sheffield, Mass. Halladay died in 1951, leaving his interest in their jointly-owned collection to his partner, Thomas. Thomas died in 1957, leaving his estate to his sister, Mrs. Albert N. Petterson, who was AARFAM's vendor.