Paul Smith Palmer
1835/1838
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 86.4 x 73.4 cm (34 x 28 7/8 in.) framed: 103.5 x 90.8 x 6.9 cm (40 3/4 x 35 3/4 x 2 11/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch
Accession Number
1971.83.4
Art Historical Context
Erastus Salisbury Field painted this striking portrait of Paul Smith Palmer 1835 and 1838 in oil on canvas. Measuring roughly 34 by 29 inches, the work exemplifies the direct, unadorned style of early American portraiture, capturing the sitter’s likeness with a focus on clear features and simple, dignified presentation. Such paintings were often commissioned by families seeking to preserve their image during a time of westward expansion and growing middle-class prosperity. Field, a self-taught artist active in rural New England and New York, traveled to create these likenesses for local clien...
About the Artist
Erastus Salisbury Field · 1805–1900
1805–1900