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Henry Clay and Helen Frick

Henry Clay and Helen Frick
Artist
Edmund Charles Tarbell, 26 Apr 1862 - 1 Aug 1938
Sitter
Henry Clay Frick, 19 Dec 1849 - 2 Dec 1919
Helen Clay Frick, 2 Sep 1888 - Nov 1984
Date
c. 1910
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 78.7 x 59.1 x 2.5cm (31 x 23 1/4 x 1")
Frame: 90.5 x 70.2 x 3.8cm (35 5/8 x 27 5/8 x 1 1/2")
Topic
Costume\Headgear\Hat
Exterior\Landscape
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Beard
Costume\Dress Accessory\Feather
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Bowtie
Henry Clay Frick: Male
Henry Clay Frick: Society and Social Change\Philanthropist\Patron of the arts
Henry Clay Frick: Visual Arts\Art collector
Henry Clay Frick: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Industrialist
Henry Clay Frick: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Industrialist\Manufacturer\Steel
Helen Clay Frick: Female
Helen Clay Frick: Society and Social Change\Philanthropist\Patron of the arts
Helen Clay Frick: Visual Arts\Art collector
Helen Clay Frick: Visual Arts\Visual arts administrator\Art museum administrator\Art museum trustee
Helen Clay Frick: Education and Scholarship\Founder\Library
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.81.121
Exhibition Label
Henry Clay Frick 1849–1919, born West Overton, Pennsylvania
Helen Frick 1888–1984, born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Henry Clay Frick grew up in a family of limited means, but by age thirty he had become a millionaire and a key player in the industrial development of the United States. Recognizing steel as the principal building material of the future, Frick amassed his fortune first by supplying coke—fuel made from coal—to the steel industry and later by partnering with Andrew Carnegie to create the world’s largest steel company. A cutthroat businessman who opposed labor unions, Frick was aggressive in making his operations more efficient. In 1892, during a violent confrontation with steelworkers in Homestead, Pennsylvania, he called in private security guards and the state militia to break the union’s resolve. Seven workers and three guards died in the conflict.
Frick bequeathed much of his fortune to his daughter Helen, shown here, who funded several cultural organizations, most notably New York City’s Frick Collection and Art Reference Library.
Henry Clay Frick 1849–1919, nacido en West Overton, Pensilvania
Helen Frick 1888–1984, nacida en Pittsburgh, Pensilvania
Henry Clay Frick creció en una familia de recursos limitados, pero a los 30 años ya era millonario y figura clave en el desarrollo industrial de EE.UU. Viendo que el acero sería el principal material de construcción del futuro, Frick amasó su fortuna suministrando coque (combustible hecho de carbón) a la industria acerera y luego se asoció con Andrew Carnegie para crear la empresa siderúrgica más grande del mundo. Negociante implacable y opuesto a las uniones obreras, Frick promovió la eficiencia de sus operaciones agresivamente. En 1892, durante una confrontación violenta con sus obreros de Homestead, Pensilvania, empleó guardias privados y la milicia estatal para amedrentar al sindicato. Siete obreros y tres guardias murieron.
Frick legó la mayor parte de su fortuna a su hija Helen, retratada aquí, quien fundó organizaciones culturales como la Colección Frick y la Biblioteca Frick de Consulta sobre Arte, ambas en Nueva York.
Provenance
The artist; his daughter Mrs. Josephine Tarbell Ferrell; her daughters Mrs. Albert Cannon, Charleston, and Mrs. John W. McLain, Madison, Va.; purchased 1981 through (Carolina Prints & Frames, Charleston, S.C.) by NPG
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Exhibition
Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
On View
NPG, East Gallery 131