Queen Victoria
1838
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
36 x 28 3/8 in. (91.4 x 71.5 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Francis T. S. Darley, 1914
Accession Number
14.126.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the regal portrait *Queen Victoria* (1838) by Thomas Sully, a master American portraitist renowned for his luminous, elegant style influenced by British traditions. Captured just a year after her 1837 coronation at age 18, this oil-on-canvas work (36 x 28⅜ in.) depicts the young monarch in her iconic finery, complete with crown, symbolizing the dawn of her transformative 63-year reign that defined an era. Sully, born in England but a leading figure in Philadelphia's art scene, traveled to London specifically to paint Victoria, creating one of several celebrated likenesses that helped c...
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...