Portrait of a Lady
c. 1825/1830
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 76 x 63 cm (29 15/16 x 24 13/16 in.) framed: 91.1 x 78.1 x 5.7 cm (35 7/8 x 30 3/4 x 2 1/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Accession Number
1947.17.82
Art Historical Context
Behold the elegant *Portrait of a Lady*, to the esteemed American painter John Neagle around 1825–1830. This oil on canvas masterpiece, measuring 76 x 63 cm, captures the refined poise of its unidentified subject, a hallmark of early 19th-century portrait. Neagle, a prominent Philadelphia artist influenced by the likes of Gilbert Stuart, specialized in lifelike depictions of the era's elite, blending neoclassical precision with emerging Romantic warmth. Oil on canvas was the gold standard for such portraits, allowing Neagle's masterful handling of light, texture, and fabric to convey social s...