Portrait of a Gentleman in a Carriage
Unknown Artist
ca. 1850–60
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
22 1/8 x 29 in. (56.2 x 73.7 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1973
Accession Number
1973.323.1
Tags
About this artwork
This folk art painting of a gentleman in a carriage (circa 1850-60) exemplifies mid-19th-century American vernacular portraiture, where accomplished amateurs or itinerant painters documented middle-class prosperity and social status. The substantial canvas (22 1/8 x 29 inches) and oil medium indicate this was commissioned as an important personal or family record, celebrating the sitter's economic success symbolized by carriage ownership—a significant marker of wealth in pre-automobile America. ...
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of mid-19th-century America with *Portrait of a Gentleman in a Carriage*, a charming folk art oil on canvas from around 1850–60. Painted by an unknown artist—likely an accomplished amateur or itinerant painter—this 22⅛ × 29-inch work captures a well-dressed gentleman riding in a finely detailed carriage, pulled by horses. True to folk art traditions, it features flattened perspective, meticulous descriptive details, and a direct, honest style that prioritizes clarity and likeness over academic refinement or atmospheric depth. Commissioned as a proud family record, ...