Charles Loring Elliott
c. 1865
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 68.9 x 56.2 cm (27 1/8 x 22 1/8 in.) framed: 91.8 x 79.1 x 7.1 cm (36 1/8 x 31 1/8 x 2 13/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Accession Number
1947.17.9
Art Historical Context
This elegant oil-on-canvas portrait, titled *Charles Loring* and dated around 1865, depicts renowned American painter Charles Loring Elliott (1812–1868), a master of 19th-century portraiture Measuring 68.9 x 56.2 cm (27 1/8 x 22 1/8 in.), it was crafted by an unidentified American artist during the Civil War's final years, a time when portrait painting served as a vital means of personal commemoration amid national upheaval. Oil on canvas was the premier medium for such works, allowing for rich impasto textures, luminous skin tones, and intricate details in attire that conveyed status and char...
About the Artist
American 19th Century
The artist cataloged as "American, 19th Century" represents a collective of unidentified painters active in the United States during the nineteenth century, with 380 known artworks preserved in this virtual museum's collection. These works span a diverse array of genres typical of the era, including portraits, landscapes, still lifes, and genre scenes, reflecting the burgeoning artistic output of ...