Charles Stewart
Medium
Drawing
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
NPG.71.17
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection, Thomas Sully's 1817 drawing *Charles Stewart* captures the dignified likeness of Commodore Charles Stewart, a celebrated U.S. Navy officer. Sully (1783–1872), a leading American portraitist influenced by British Romantics like Sir Joshua Reynolds, was renowned for his fluid, expressive style that brought sitters to life with graceful poise and emotional depth. This work, housed in the National Portrait Gallery, exemplifies his preparatory drawings—often in pencil or chalk—that served as studies for larger oil portraits, showcasing his master...