William Cullen Bryant
c. 1854
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 61.6 × 51.12 cm (24 1/4 × 20 1/8 in.) framed: 79.38 × 69.22 × 7.62 cm (31 1/4 × 27 1/4 × 3 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Bequest of James C. McGuire)
Accession Number
2015.19.120
Art Historical Context
This striking portrait of William Cullen Bryant, painted around 1854 by Charles Loring, captures the renowned American poet and editor in a moment of quiet contemplation. Bryant, best known for his Romantic nature poem "Thanatopsis" and his role as editor of the New York Evening Post, gazes directly at the viewer with a thoughtful intensity. The oil-on-canvas medium, a staple of 19th-century portraiture allows Elliott to render Bryant's features with remarkable realism—subtle skin tones, expressive eyes, and finely detailed hair and clothing that convey both dignity and approachability. At 61....
About the Artist
Charles Loring Elliott · 1812–1868
Comment on works: painter