Louis Michel Eilshemius Self-Portrait
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
NPG.83.132
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
(Ernest S. Hickok, Summit, New Jersey); purchased NPG 1983
Art Historical Context
Louis Michel Eilshemius created this self-portrait in 1915, offering a personal glimpse into the life of the American artist best known for his landscape paintings. Born in 1864 and passing in 1941, Eilshemius often explored imaginative scenes from nature, yet here he turns his attention inward. The painting captures him with distinctive features including a beard and mustache, along with the pince-nez and necktie that reflect the formal attire of the era. Housed in the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution, this work highlights Eilshemius’s versatility beyond his primary focus on landscapes. As a self-portrait in the medium of painting, it serves as both a record of individual identity and a window into early 20th-century artistic practice. Visitors can appreciate how the piece connects the artist’s personal story with broader themes of self-representation in American art collections.