Sarah Annis Sully (Mrs. Thomas Sully)
1832
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
29 1/2 x 22 5/8 in. (74.9 x 57.5 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
14.126.3
Tags
About this artwork
Thomas Sully (1783-1872) painted this tender portrait of his wife Sarah Annis Sully in 1832, demonstrating the intimacy and warmth he brought to family portraits. The 29½ by 22⅝ inch oil on canvas depicts Sarah with the gentle, flattering approach that made Sully America's most sought-after portraitist during the first half of the 19th century. Thomas and Sarah married in 1806, and she provided crucial emotional support during his long, successful career. Sully's portrait style, influenced by Th...
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...