William Brown
1804–8
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
92.1 × 71.1 cm (36 1/4 × 28 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
9255
Art Historical Context
John Trumbull, often called the “Painter of the Revolution,” created this oil-on-canvas portrait of William Brown between 1804 and 1808. A veteran of the American Revolutionary War, Trumbull devoted much of his career to recording the faces and events that defined the young nation. His portraits combine formal European training with a distinctly American purpose, presenting sitters with dignity and clarity. Painted at a time when the United States was still establishing its cultural identity, the work reflects the era’s emphasis on individual character and civic virtue. Trumbull’s skillful us...
About the Artist
John Trumbull · 1756–1843
John Trumbull, born on June 6, 1756, in Lebanon, Connecticut, to prominent Puritan descendants, grew up in a politically influential family as the son of Jonathan Trumbull, Connecticut's governor from 1769 to 1784, and Faith Robinson Trumbull. His brothers included Joseph, the Continental Army's first commissary general, and Jonathan Jr., Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. A childhood a...