Mrs. George Lingen
1842
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Oval: 71.8 × 62.9 cm (28 1/2 × 24 3/4 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
72953
Art Historical Context
**Mrs. George Lingen** (1842) by Thomas Sully is a captivating oil-on-canvas portrait that exemplifies the elegance of 19th-century American portraiture. Sully, one of America's foremost painters of the Romantic era, specialized in luminous depictions of the elite, drawing inspiration from British masters like Sir Joshua Reynolds. This oval-format work, measuring 71.8 × 62.9 cm, captures the poised sitter—likely a prominent Philadelphia socialite—in a format traditionally reserved for intimate, jewel-like family heirlooms, emphasizing personal refinement over grandeur. The medium of oil on ca...
About the Artist
Thomas Sully · 1783–1872
Thomas Sully, born on June 19, 1783, in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England, to actor parents Matthew Sully and Sarah Chester, emigrated with his family to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1792. Raised in a theatrical environment, young Thomas debuted as a tumbler at age 11 before discovering his artistic talent. He studied miniature painting with his brother Lawrence Sully, brother-in-law Jean Belzon...