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Cornelius Vanderbilt

Cornelius Vanderbilt
Artist
Nathaniel Jocelyn, 1796 - 1881
Sitter
Cornelius Vanderbilt, 27 May 1794 - 4 Jan 1877
Date
1846
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 76.2 x 64.8 x 2.5cm (30 x 25 1/2 x 1")
Frame: 105.4 x 92.7 x 11.4cm (41 1/2 x 36 1/2 x 4 1/2")
Topic
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair
Home Furnishings\Drape
Cornelius Vanderbilt: Male
Cornelius Vanderbilt: Business and Finance\Banking and Finance\Financier
Cornelius Vanderbilt: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Business executive\Railroad executive
Cornelius Vanderbilt: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Shipping
Cornelius Vanderbilt: Business and Finance\Transportation\Steamboat captain
Cornelius Vanderbilt: Education and Scholarship\Founder\University
Cornelius Vanderbilt: Congressional Gold Medal
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.78.281
Exhibition Label
Born Staten Island, New York
By organizing the fragmented transportation system in the United States, Cornelius Vanderbilt facilitated continental expansion and created the infrastructure necessary for an expanding economy. He began in the rough-and-tumble world of the New York City port, soon earning the nickname “the Commodore.” By 1829, he had parlayed several small shipping ventures into a stake in the lucrative Hudson River trade, then branched out to dominate the New England steamship service and seaborne travel to San Francisco. Vanderbilt next moved into railroads, gaining control of the industry from New York to western Canada.
A ruthless monopolist, Vanderbilt drove out his competitors through rate wars, political muscle, and hostile takeovers. He disdained philanthropy and made only one major gift, donating one million dollars to found Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Obsessively frugal, Vanderbilt died the country’s richest man, but within fifty years, his grandchildren’s Gilded Age extravagance had squandered the family fortune.
Nacido en Staten Island, Nueva York
Al organizar el fragmentado sistema de transporte de Estados Unidos, Cornelius Vanderbilt facilitó la expansión continental y creó la infraestructura necesaria para una economía creciente. Se inició en el duro ambiente del puerto neoyorquino y pronto se ganó el apodo de “el Comodoro”. Para 1829 había entrado al lucrativo comercio del río Hudson aprovechando varias pequeñas empresas navieras. Dominó el servicio de vapores en Nueva Inglaterra y el transporte marítimo de pasajeros a San Francisco. También controló el sector de los ferrocarriles desde Nueva York hasta el oeste de Canadá.
Monopolista implacable, Vanderbilt eliminaba a sus competidores con guerras de precios, influencias políticas y adquisiciones hostiles. Desdeñaba la filantropía y solo hizo una donación importante: un millón de dólares para fundar la Universidad Vanderbilt en Nashville, Tennessee. Frugal en extremo, a su muerte era el hombre más rico del país, pero en unos 50 años sus nietos malgastarían la fortuna familiar con una vida de derroche durante la Edad Dorada.
Provenance
Randolph L. Simpson, New York, 1972. (Christie’s, New York, December 8, 1978, lot no. 5); purchased 1978 NPG.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Exhibition
Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
On View
NPG, East Gallery 122