Biel Le Doyt
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 76.4 x 58.5 cm (30 1/16 x 23 1/16 in.) framed: 83.2 x 65.4 x 5.7 cm (32 3/4 x 25 3/4 x 2 1/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch
Accession Number
1971.83.3
Art Historical Context
Erastus Salisbury Field painted this striking portrait of Biel Le Doyt in 1827, early in his career as one of America’s leading folk artists. Working primarily in rural New England, Field traveled from town to town creating affordable likenesses for middle-class families before photography became widespread. His oil-canvas technique, with its crisp outlines and direct gaze, captures both the sitter’s personality and the straightforward aesthetic of early 19th-century American portraiture. Field’s style reflects the folk tradition’s emphasis on clarity and presence over academic refinement. Th...
About the Artist
Erastus Salisbury Field · 1805–1900
1805–1900