Name/Title
PortraitEntry/Object ID
L.2018-70Description
Gypsy Woman and ChildContext
This oil painting represents one of over two thousand portraits painted by Thomas Sully (1783-1872), a prolific American portrait artist of the nineteenth century. Most notable remain his portraits of Thomas Jefferson, Marquette de Lafayette, and Queen Victoria.Collection
Nathaniel Russell HouseMade/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Sully, ThomasRole
ArtistDate made
1859Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
PortraitNomenclature Primary Object Term
PictureNomenclature Class
ArtNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsDimensions
Height
30-1/16 inWidth
25-3/16 inLocation
Category
PermanentDate
February 7, 2023Intake
Loan In
L.2018-70Lender
Mrs. Henry AbbotDate Received
Mar 6, 2019Date Due for Return
Jan 1, 2024Notes
Philadelphia Museum of Art: The W. P. Wilstach Collection, bequest of Anna H. Wilstach, 1893Research Notes
Notes
Born in England to two actors, Sully was exposed to the art world at a very young age. By the age of ten, Sully and his family settled in Charleston, South Carolina where he spent his formative years studying art and cultivating a passion for portrait painting. In Charleston, Sully became schoolmates with the notable miniaturist, Charles Fraser (1782-1860), and studied under Jean L. Belzons, a French miniaturist. Influential artists like Benjamin West, Gilbert Stewart and most especially, Sir Thomas Lawrence would continue to inform and shape Sully's career and artistic style. By 1799, Sully left Charleston to commence his art career, traveling throughout the colonies until 1808 when he settled in Philadelphia. Sully returned to Charleston in 1841 and 1845 completing thirty-nine portraits of various Charlestonians including Adele Petigru Allston, a former resident of the Nathaniel Russell House, and Charles Izard Manigault. Individually and collectively, Sully's portraits gracefully capture significant aspects and individuals of 19th century American and English culture.Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
March 28, 2019Updated By
sferguson@historiccharleston.orgUpdate Date
February 22, 2023