Mr. Pease
c. 1837
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 89.9 x 74 cm (35 3/8 x 29 1/8 in.) framed: 100.3 x 83.8 x 4.4 cm (39 1/2 x 33 x 1 3/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch
Accession Number
1965.15.1
Art Historical Context
**Mr. Pease** is a compelling portrait by Erastus Salisbury Field, around 1837 in oil on canvas. Field, a self-taughtant artist from Massachusetts (1805–1900), captured the likeness of his subject—a stern, dignified gentleman likely from New England's merchant class—measuring 89.9 x cm. This work exemplifies early 19th-century American art, a tradition born from a growing demand for affordable portraits among the rising middle class, before photography disrupted the market. Field's naive style shines through in the painting's flat perspective, bold outlines, and vivid colors, hallmarks of fo...
About the Artist
Erastus Salisbury Field · 1805–1900
1805–1900