John Tyler
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift from the Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Museum Purchase, Gallery Fund) The Corcoran Gallery of Art, one of the countryâs first private museums, was established in 1869 to promote art and American genius. In 2014 the Works from the Corcoran Collection were distributed to institutions in Washington, D.C.
Accession Number
NPG.2019.13
Tags
About this artwork
Thomas B. Bryan, Chicago [1861-1876]; Purchased by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1879; Gift to NPG, 2019.
Art Historical Context
This striking 1842 portrait by George Peter Alexander Healy captures Tyler, the tenth President of the United States (1841–1845), who rose to the nation's highest office upon William Henry Harrison's sudden death—the first vice president to do so. Painted during Tyler's single term, the work depicts him as a dignified statesman from Virginia, dressed in formal attire with a tie, pin, and jacket, seated in an interior setting that evokes authority and introspection. Tyler, a lawyer and former chancellor, navigated contentious issues like the annexation of Texas and faced political isolation fro...