Joseph Henry
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 (Bequest of James C. McGuire) 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.2019.10
Tags
About this artwork
Born Albany, New York
Art Historical Context
This striking 1857 portrait by Daniel Huntington captures Joseph Henry, the pioneering American physicist born in Albany, New York and the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Painted during Henry's tenure (1846–1878), it honors his profound contributions to science, including groundbreaking work on electromagnetism and his vision for the Smithsonian as a hub for knowledge dissemination. Henry, depicted in formal attire with a distinctive tie, embodies the era's intellectual elite—a professor and innovator whose experiments laid foundations for modern electrical technology. Huntingt...